I've always heard that she didn't actually see him until she visited the farm days, if not weeks, later. She had a notebook where she wrote notes about the various horses she owned. After that visit, her notebook entry about her newest foal was a single word - "Wow!"
Anybody who has ever seen a Disney film about a historical character has to expect this sort of thing. It seems that the Disney screenwriters feel they must take us on an emotional roller coaster ride, and have no qualms about playing fast and loose with the facts in the name of increasing the dramatic tension. Penny Tweedy's strategem of breeding a Princequillo mare (a line known for their stamina, not speed) to Bold Ruler (brilliant speed, but little staying power) isn't enough, she must form a psychic bond with the foal. She can't just be a greenish female in a traditionally men's world, she must encouter overt hostility at every turn. The opposition can't be people that are just pursuing their own interests and ambitions, they must be diabolically determined to "do a dirty" to the hero(ine). The fact that it had been so long since a horse had won the Triple Crown, some people had begun to think it was no longer possible, is nowhere near as gripping as believing that it was do-or-die for this particular team. Hubby and I have gotten used to just enjoying the ride on films like this. If one of us says, "Hey, now, wait a minute, that's not right," the other goes, "Shhhhh. You're using your brain again."
