AllMovie

This two-reel comedy, which Stan Laurel (who had not yet teamed up with Oliver Hardy) made for producer Hal Roach, was a burlesque of a famous horse race of the day. The studio began planning the short even before the real race -- between horses Zev and Papyrus -- was run on October 23, 1923, and production began on October 22. Stan stars as jockey Dippy Donawho (the real-life jockey was named Steve Donoghue), who is supposed to ride the English horse, Paprika, in the big race. He's shown training for the big day (his trainer is the dependably funny James Finlayson). But there's a mix-up on the day of the race, and somehow Donawho winds up on the back of the wrong horse. The other jockey is disqualified, however, so Donawho emerges victorious. Others in the cast include Ena Gregory, George Rose, Eddie Baker, and Fred Karno, Jr., son of famed English vaudeville impresario Fred Karno.