"You get a very minute taste of it when you're at the racetrack as a spectator, or if you've placed a wager. This Unfiltered series takes you right behind — totally behind the scenes. Unfiltered. This is the real deal."
The second episode of Ontario Racing Unfiltered is set for release on Thursday, Aug. 1. The first episode aired on July 18, providing a look at the four harness racing participants this year: Tyler Jones, James MacDonald, Bob McClure and Doug McNair. In case you missed it, here's the first episode.
In advance of the second episode, show participant Kelly Spencer joined CP24 Breakfast on Wednesday, July 31 to discuss the upcoming season.
"Season Two really shines a light on what's happening underneath, psychologically and emotionally," noted Spencer. "The Olympics are on right now, we're looking at all the athletes' mental outlooks and psychological thinking going into their events and that's really what this is...this docuseries is a sneak peek of what's under the surface of these professional athletes who are then driving these professional athletes — the racehorses.
"It's a great character study, I think people will find it very compelling even if you know very little about horse racing. Very, very compelling cinema."
In episode two, Unfiltered profiles the participants from the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse side of the industry. Emma-Jayne Wilson and Rafael Hernandez return as featured jockeys, with up-and-coming rider Sofia Vives joining the series. Trainers Kevin Attard and Mark Casse complete the lineup as those two individuals set their sights on the 2024 King's Plate.
Woodbine's Jeff Bratt was a guest on CTV Your Morning on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming season and that amazing bond between the people and horses.
"To watch these thousand-pound majestic animals with a 100-pound jockey on their back, and they have to be in sync, and the horse has to trust that human so much...I think that's really kind of the storyline for me. "
On the Quarter Horse side, trainer Lauren Spada and jockey Alexis Sanchez join the cast. The trainer-jockey duo are a tandem both on and off the track, second-generation participants looking to ascend to new heights in their respective fields.
The second episode of the four-episode season will be available on multiple digital platforms on Thursday, including Crave, tsn.ca, ctv.ca and affiliated YouTube channels. A full schedule breakdown can be found below:
- Episode 1 - July 18
- Episode 2 - Aug. 1
- Episode 3 - Aug. 15
- Episode 4 - Sept. 12
(Standardbred Canada)