In The First Saturday in May we follow six leading and diverse
trainers as they struggle through months of grueling preparation to advance
stake race after stake race to qualify for the 2006 Kentucky Derby. The film
reaches past the glamour of the horses, jockeys and the bourbon; it gives us a
glimpse of the owners, the trainers, and even their families as they share the
sweet victories, disappointing setbacks, and even gut-wrenching tragedies.
It’s the colorful personalities of the people who train the horses that shine
through. From Dan Hendricks, whose life did not skip a beat when he became
paralyzed, to Kiaran McLaughlin, who refuses to let a recent diagnosis of MS get
in the way of training he does for the Royal Family of Dubai.
Featuring the heroic Barbaro, this award-winning documentary tells a story
that no Hollywood horse story can match.