Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing
Series: Independent Lens, a VOCES Co-Presentation
Director: Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana
Producers: Gabriella García Pardo and Patricia Alvarez Astacio
Genre: Documentary
Program Length: 90 min
Broadcast Date: April 13, 2026
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Immigrant grooms work year-round on the hidden “backside” of Churchill Downs. Rising before dawn, they care for some of the world’s most prized Kentucky Derby racehorses, revealing how race, labor, and class shape an elite American industry. Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing honors the resilience that’s behind the spectacle.
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