This is film-making-by-the-numbers, but the numbers all add up to make a solid, if predictable drama about family relationships.

The formula goes like this: take one 12-year-old girl (Lindze Letherman), grieving for her mother who died in a riding accident.

Add a spirited horse - the foal of the mare that killed her mother - whom the girl loves, and a protective father (Gabriel Byrne) who, after the accident, has forbidden either of his daughters to ride again.

Finally, mix in a horse race that Virginia simply must win, and you have a heartwarming horsecapade which young teenage girls especially will love.