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Star of
Spielberg's New Film Discovered in Los Alamitos Cypress, CA - Jan. 5, 2011 - Like so many leading men who appear larger than life on the big screen, the star of Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” is, disappointingly, much shorter in person. But whatever he lacks in stature, Finder’s Key more than makes up for in scene-stealing screen presence as Joey, the plucky thoroughbred who is wrested from his young master to serve both British and German armies during World War I. Critical raves from Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times and Time magazine notwithstanding, “War Horse” — which galloped into theaters on Christmas Day — would be dead lame without the charismatic Joey (or, rather, the eight horses that play him as an adult horse). The horse responsible for the lion’s share of Joey’s specialty work — rearing on command, running in an open field to a designated spot, lying motionless while ensnared in barbed wire (which is actually plastic) — is Finder’s Key, a sporty, 12-year-old California-bred gelding whose impeccably bred sire, Lindsey’s Roberto, ran 12 times but never won a race. “Finder,” as he is mononymously billed, bears no battle scars from his own forgettable racing career, the evidence of which is confirmed by the fading vestige of a lip tattoo. The 15.2-hand gelding failed to hit the board in any of his four starts (all $2,500 maiden claiming races) at Los Alamitos Racecourse. In the summer of 2002, Finder was “discovered” by Hollywood horse trainer Rusty Hendrickson, who regularly visits the Los Alamitos backstretch looking for budding equine thespians. Hendrickson zeroed in on Finder while casting for “Seabiscuit” and bought him for $1,500 from Los Alamitos trainer Arthur “Curly” Ortiz on behalf of producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall “He was just impossible to train,” said Ortiz, who has sold “10, maybe 15” horses to Hollywood trainers over the years. “He would rear, and nobody wanted to get on him. He wouldn’t go to the track without a pony.” But Hendrickson, who had already made an offer on an Appaloosa and a bay thoroughbred mare in Ortiz’s barn, saw star potential in Finder. “He said he wouldn’t take the other two unless I sold him Finder,” Ortiz said, laughing. Many species served nobly in the Great War. Birds and dogs ferried messages, camels and mules lugged artillery … even cats were deployed to ambush the rats in the trenches. But the animal that contributed — and sacrificed — the most during World War I was the horse. It is estimated that between 4 and 8 million horses died on all sides, most from injuries sustained in battle, but others from starvation, disease or mistreatment. Lovgren, who oversaw all animal training on “War Horse,” relied on Finder for some of the film’s most heartrending scenes, including one involving Joey and his friend, Topthorn. Finder’s forte is “liberty work,” which involves Lovgren directing him with no restraints or tethers, often in large, unfenced areas. “I know my boundaries with him,” Lovgren said, laughing. “It’s really all about teaching him to have confidence in me. He could certainly run away if he wanted to.” The breathtaking scenes of Joey running free in the lush green fields of Devon were the most difficult performances for Lovgren to coax from Finder. “Here at home, all we have are dirt paddocks,” Lovgren said. “When he saw all that grass, he just wanted to eat it. That tortured me a bit. The filmmakers would say, ‘OK, we want him standing still and looking at us.’ Good luck!” If a horse’s worth is gauged by how much he bankrolled on the racetrack, Finder would be worth $500. “He’s by far the most intelligent horse I’ve ever worked with,” Lovgren said. “He seems to enjoy showing off when people are watching. I don’t know how he knows it. He truly is Mr. Hollywood. You can’t put a price on him.” The day after Christmas, Ortiz took his girlfriend, Lisa, to see “War Horse” at a large multiplex in Ontario, Calif. During the cavalry scene, Ortiz thought he spotted his old friend running neck and neck with Topthorn. “The black horse pulled away from him,” Ortiz said, “and Lisa leaned over and said, ‘He still can’t run.’” | ||
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