Quite a few people (inlcuding me) have been looking forward to the DVD release of the recent Australian movie THE CUP, directed by Simon Wincer.

The movie had a brief run at the movies last year and is based on the true story of Damien Oliver, a young jockey who loses his only brother in a tragic racing accident, hauntingly reflecting of the way their father died 27 years earlier.

The DVD has a strict release date of the 1st March 2012 and will be available on both Blu Ray and DVD. It's up on my website now for pre-order and will be shipped the very same day I receive by Express Post

A brilliant documentary on it's way is the multi-award winning BUCK BRANNAMAN documentary.

Many people are already huge fans of this amazing man, but in case you haven't yet heard of him, Buck is the original horse whisperer, and is the real person Robert Redford's film by the same name was based on.

This film has already won heaps of Awards including the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, and is on the short list for an Oscar nomination at this years Academy Awards.

It will have a limited release in cinemas in Australia from February 16, with the DVD release to follow later in the year. It would be terrific to see it on the big screen, so make sure you check with your local cinema for screening times, as I'm sure it won't be there for long.

I have put the film trailer up on my website if you would like to look at a sneak peak.

I was just watching pay TV on my parents telly (I don't have it myself) and noticed there is a documentary called THE REAL WAR HORSE on tomorrow night.

If you're like me and really enjoyed the recent WAR HORSE movie, then you'll probably be interested in learning more about the roles horses played in the first World War.

TUESDAY 31ST JANUARY. AUSTAR/FOXTEL HISTORY CHANNEL. 8.30 PM

The Real War Horse tells the epic story of the life and death of the horses, mules and donkeys that assisted the British Army in World War I. Of the one million sent to the Western Front during the conflict, only 67,000 returned home, with 933,000 tragically dying.

This chapter of war history has recently captured the public imagination with the huge success of West End play War Horse, based on Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel of the same name. Using footage from the stage play and dramatic reconstruction, alongside interviews with Michael Morpurgo and other key figures behind the play, the harsh realities of the horses' war experience is brought vividly to life.

Rare, high quality black and white archive, alongside fascinating footage on the work of the RSPCA, the Army Veterinary Corps and horse hospitals in World War I, compliments this. Imminent World War I historian Richard van Emden also reveals interesting information about the role of horses in the war.

At the heart of the film is the deeply moving testimony of the last survivors who worked with and rode horses during the war. They were filmed exclusively for this show over the past ten years. Those featured include Smiler Marshall (Essex Yeomanry), Norman Cowan (Northumberland Hussars), Alfred Henn (Warwickshire Horse Artillery) Bill Cotgrove (Essex Horse Artillery), GB Jamieson (1st Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry in British Expeditionary Force, 1914) and others.

All these elements combine to create a lasting tribute to the horses and the horsemen, revealing the vital role they played in the survival and final victory of the Allied armed forces.

Most people are familar with the history of the modern Thoroughbred race horse, all of which can be traced back to the three founding sires, the Godolphin Arabian, The Byerly Turk and the Darley Arabian.

New genetic research just in from Ireland has discovered that the 'speed gene' identified in 2010 and present in many of the world's superstar racehorses, can now be traced back 300 years to a single British mare.

I believe a test may become available in the future to see if young thoroughbreds are carrying this special gene. Won't that turn thoroughbred racing on it's ear!