If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to enter the Sport of Kings with a fistful of cash and a dream of roses, Netflix’s new docuseries “Race for the Crown” drops you right into the saddle. The show follows alongside jockeys, trainers, and billionaire owners as they chase glory, and maybe a few social media likes, through the 2024 Triple Crown season.

It’s not just a parade of private jets and champagne toasts … though there’s plenty of that. Viewers get a inside look at racing lifers like jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and trainer Kenny McPeek, who together pulled off the rare Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double while under the documentary microscope.

Owner Michael Iavarone ( Courtesy of Race for the Crown )

The series opens with Michael Iavarone, the slick, sunglasses-at-night type who won the Kentucky Derby with Big Brown back in 2008. He’s been itching to get back to that winner’s circle ever since. A behind-the-scenes chat with fellow Derby-winning owner Ramiro Restrepo reveals a missed connection: the two couldn’t quite strike a deal on 2023 Derby champ Mage.

With that sour note lingering, Iavarone buys into Restrepo’s 2024 hopeful, Victory Avenue. The “seven-figure deal” ultimately went nowhere when the horse failed to make the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

High-stakes dreams and high-end lifestyles dominate the early episodes, with a star-studded cast featuring legendary Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, outspoken billionaire Mike Repole, World Series champ Jayson Werth, and horse racing newcomer John Stewart.

Jockey Frankie Dettori (Courtesy of Race for the Crown)

Dettori’s arc centers on his decision to base in America full time with the hopes of riding in the Derby. He earned the mount on Society Man, who jogged home a distant 16^th in the first jewel of the 2024 Triple Crown. Repole, meanwhile, plays the loudmouth villain you secretly root for. “Mike from Queens” has swagger to spare, but the show also gives a glimpse at the emotional rollercoaster that owners, trainers, and jockeys ride every week.

Then there’s Stewart, who went from Wall Street to the winner’s circle. He seems just as passionate about horsepower in the garage as on the track. His Lamborghini lifestyle screams “money is no object,” but his love for racing seems legit.

Werth’s storyline offers one of the series’ most emotional payoffs. Cameras captured the pain on his face when his Derby horse, Dornoch, broke poorly from the gate, eliminating any chance he had at victory. But five weeks later, the tables turned. From Saratoga’s Turf Terrace, the America’s Best Racing cameras captured Werth celebrating like the 2008 World Series crowd in Philadelphia as Dornoch stormed home in the Belmont Stakes. ABR provided that clip, and other videos, of raw emotion to Netflix producers to enhance the docuseries.

But perhaps the show’s most relatable figure is jockey Katie Davis. A working mom and fierce competitor, Davis opens up about the struggles of returning to racing after childbirth, the loneliness of being the only woman in the jockey colony, and the hurt of being told by her agent that maybe it was time to walk away. Instead, she dug in, rode her heart out, and earned fan-favorite status at New York tracks, especially Saratoga.

“Race for the Crown” doesn’t get bogged down in bloodlines or betting tickets. Instead, it’s a high-octane look at the people behind the horses. The series is full of big personalities, bigger bank accounts, and just enough heartbreak to keep things honest. It’s glitzy, it’s gritty, and it reminds us all just how hard it is to get into the Kentucky Derby starting gate.