Like many other athletes, some of the greatest racehorses in history are immortal. While you won't find any bets on them at Betway South Africa, their legacy is still around - true horse racing fans can never forget the names of Seabiscuit, Secretariat, and many others who have broken records of speed and stamina at the raceway. Some of them have even been immortalized on the silver screen, with their story turned into movies for everyone to enjoy. Today, let's take a look at a selection of these films telling the true stories of the often unsung heroes of the racetrack.

Phar Lap (1983)

Phar Lap looked such a lost cause that his new owner, David Davis (played by Ron Leibman) describes him as a "cross between a sheepdog and a kangaroo", albeit with an exceptional pedigree. This doesn't stop strapper Tommy Woodcock (Tom Burlinson) from training him, and a strong bond forms between the two. Their work pays off: Phar Lap goes on an unexpected winning spree, winning over the hearts of Australian audiences and wins race after race before dying (allegedly of arsenic poisoning) in 1932. Phar Lap was one of five inaugural inductees into both the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame. The film was nominated for five AFI awards in 1983.

Hidalgo (2004)

Hidalgo was the mustang ridden by American distance rider Frank Hopkins in the late 19th century. The movie depicts an unlikely race where Hopkins and Hidalgo had to face Bedouins riding pure-blooded Arabian horses in Arabia in 1891. As you might expect, Hidalgo wins the race against all odds, saving his owner from dying of thirst. It's a wonderful tale, even if it's not entirely true.

50 to 1

50 to 1 tells the story of Mine That Bird, an undersized thoroughbred racehorse that qualifies for the 2009 Kentucky Derby. The film follows a group of misfit cowboys from New Mexico to Churchill Downs, where Mine That Bird is the ultimate underdog, with odds of 50 to 1. As you might expect, he wins the race and goes down in history.

Kincsem (2017)

Kincsem was one of the most successful racehorses in history. She has the most wins of any unbeaten horse ever, with 54 wins from 54 starts - the next in line doesn't even come close to her record (Black Caviar with 25 wins). She was a sensation in Europe and has become a cultural icon in her native Hungary. The feature film telling her story has been released in 2017 was loosely based on historical accounts it's basically a fictional story. Kincsem was played by several horses in the film, but none of them was an English thoroughbred, often not even a mare. This didn't stop the movie from becoming an exciting and interesting one to see.