Sony Pictures Classics has just released the trailer for Jockey, about a man called Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) whose body is giving out at the end of his career. He’s determined to give it one last go for the championship, but things become a little more complicated. There’s an up-and-comer that just hit the scene, and he’s claiming that he’s Jackson’s son. Let’s ride!

The official synopsis reads, “An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.), hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream.”

Jockey stars Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias, Logan Cormier and Colleen Hartnett. The film was directed by Clint Bentley, who also penned the screenplay with Greg Kwedar.

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Clifton Collins Jr. has been a busy actor. He’s also starring in the new Guillermo del Toro film, Nightmare Alley. Speaking of the films, he says, “Near the start of the pandemic, I remember mentioning to my manager, wouldn’t it be funny if we finally get Jockey cut together and it comes out, and Guillermo finally gets Nightmare Alley, and then we come out of the pandemic and we’re kind of in the situations we are now, and suddenly I have to get publicists and do a circuit and all that. How about that for a crazy idea?”

To play his role of Jackson, Collin Jr. spent his time on the track with the jockeys, and dropped 11 pounds from his already svelte frame. For jockeys, every ounce counts. “If I was feeling crazy, I’d have a peanut M&M or two, but I have a hard time even telling you that. It’s true. I cheated. There’s a little bit of shame.” The thought of ‘flipping,’ as the jockeys call it, meaning emptying their stomachs right before the race, was considered, but ultimately passed on. "I thought about it for a minute. I wanted to be able to flip without using my finger. I wanted to be able to do what the real G’s do.”

He also used his knowledge of the horse races gleaned from his father during his early childhood. “On the weekends that he’d actually show up,” Collins says, his dad would pick him up from the trailer park, grab supplies from the liquor store and head to the Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. “It’s not the ideal weekend. Your dad’s getting f-cked up with his boys and he’s taught you that you have to do, basically, math word problems. What is the jockey’s weight? Did he win last time? What were the conditions of the track? Was it raining? Was it muddy? What track was it? Did he place, win, or show? I’m like 9, you know?”

Jockey has been winning festival audiences over, many declaring this would be the film that garners Clifton Collins Jr. the Oscar. With so many performances from actors being lauded as their best, it might be a photo finish! Jockey will open December 29 in L.A. and New York opening nationwide in the New Year.