Racing Blood

A young jockey comes up against a trifecta of gangsters, guns and greed in this lively entry in the popular series of Frankie Darro/Kane Richmond action-adventures. Young jockey Frankie Reynolds adopts a crippled colt, naming it "Trouble" and developing it into a champion race horse. When Trouble unexpectedly finishes first in a big race, it upsets a gambling ring's plans for a big payoff. They get even by falsely incriminating Frankie's jockey brother, Smokey, who gets banned from the racetrack for life and promptly attempts suicide. With an even bigger race looming, the thugs order a hit on Trouble and, when that fails, kidnap Frankie. With minutes to go before the start of the race, he must overcome a roomful of armed racketeers, get to the track, don his jockey silks and ride to victory without getting killed. All things are possible in this two-fisted tale of turfdom, which includes emotional scene (Darro makes a tearful speech over the body of a dying horse) that shows the teenage actor at his best. -- Tom Weaver

• drama