On Sunday, HBO aired a sneak peek of the Luck pilot, over a month before the series premiere in January. The series takes place at the Santa Anita racetrack in California and follows the thoroughbred racing business from every point of view—from the jockeys, vets, trainers, and owners to the gamblers, bookies, and racetrack employees. There are so many characters introduced in this first hour that it got a bit confusing and sometimes overwhelming. However, the pilot primarily focuses on a group of four gamblers who set out to win the pick six prize of $2.7 million. We also meet Ace (Dustin Hoffman), a man just released from prison, who is now using his driver Gus as a front in order to purchase a horse and get back into the gambling racket.
From the previews for the upcoming season, it looks like things will branch out beyond the racetrack into all forms of gambling and corruption. There are so many talented, big name, and recognizable faces from television and movies in this series. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the story develops and how the lives of all of these different folks intersect.
The series premieres January 29 at 9/8c on HBO. Check out the trailer below!
