Run For The Roses

Written by // David LeBlanc

Country of origin // United States

Season Award #16 Nomination // Best Screenplay

Synopsis // Abie Angel is an uplifting sports drama about redemption, family, and the transformative power of believing in second chances.

When Abie Brimwell dies in a tragic car accident, her thirteen-year-old daughter Lauren is left in the care of her alcoholic uncle, Shag—a once-legendary horse trainer whose career was destroyed by scandal and whose life has spiraled into a cycle of drinking and self-pity. Living with her grandfather Jock on his struggling Kentucky horse ranch, Lauren finds solace in her love of horses and her unwavering faith in the people around her, even when they fail to believe in themselves.

At a yearling auction, Lauren falls in love with a pearl-white filly that everyone else dismisses. Against all practical judgment, they purchase the horse for far more money than they can afford. Lauren names her Abie Angel, after her mother, but the filly proves to be unrideable—violently bucking off every jockey who attempts to mount her.

When former champion jockey Amanda Becker—who retired after a career-ending accident—somehow manages to ride Abie Angel successfully, it sets in motion a series of events that will test everything they believe about loyalty, perseverance, and the possibility of miracles.

As Abie Angel begins to show incredible racing potential, tragedy strikes again when Jock dies suddenly, leaving Lauren to inherit a ranch drowning in debt. With foreclosure looming and wealthy developer John Henry Johnson circling like a vulture, Lauren faces an impossible choice: sell everything to save her future, or risk losing it all to chase an unlikely dream.

But when Abie Angel dominates her debut race, running a time that announces her as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender, the stakes become higher than anyone imagined. Shag must confront his demons and choose between the bottle that has been his companion and the family that refuses to give up on him. Amanda must decide whether to return to the sport that nearly destroyed her. And Lauren must learn that sometimes loving someone means believing in them even when they don’t believe in themselves.

Abie Angel is a story about the courage to hope when hope seems impossible, the strength that comes from unlikely families, and the magic that happens when broken people refuse to give up on each other. Set against the backdrop of Kentucky’s legendary horse country and building to the thunderous excitement of the Kentucky Derby, it’s a tale that proves that with enough heart, determination, and a little divine intervention, even the longest odds can be overcome.

At its core, this is a story about angels—both earthly and heavenly—and how they help us find our way home.