BOOKMAKERS PRICE SECRETARIAT MOVIE AT 16/1 FOR BEST PICTURE

The Academy Awards are usually some of the most interesting, and profitable, novelty bets available during the course of the year and the race for the 2011 Oscar for Best Picture is shaping up to be a very dynamic one. 
The horse racing world is certainly abuzz about the new Secretariat (Bold Ruler) movie by Disney and it has to be admitted that the early previews do look fascinating. A number of industry observers are hoping that this movie brings folks back to the track en masse and there are predictions that it could possibly spark something of a horse racing revival. 
American superstars like Zenyatta (Street Cry) are playing their role in creating some allure and mystique around the sport of kings, but nothing would help put it on the map more than Secretariat winning Best Picture. 
As it currently stands, popular Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has listed Secretariat at a 16/1 price (some of the longest odds you'd ever find on Secretariat...) to win best picture. 
Currently, Secretariat is mid-pack in the betting market with the current betting favourite for best picture being The King's Speech- trading at a slim 13/8 price. 
David Fincher's The Social Network is also a strong contender at 5/2 and it will be interesting to see how the reaction to that film pans out. Paddy Power, at one point, was offering odds on the total gross of the Social Network film. 
The ballet-oriented, slightly creepy-looking Black Swan is also a strong contender for best picture and you reckon that a 5/1 price is a decent bet. Natalie Portman in minimal clothing doesn't hurt either.
True Grit's odds to win best picture sit at 8/1 while Inception trades at a 9/1 price. Toy Story 3 has been bandied about as an interesting longer-odds selection and you can back it at 10/1. Another Year is at 12/1 while the Tree of Life and Somewhere can be backed at 14/1. 
Secretariat sits alongside Winter's Bone, Love and Other Drugs and The Kids Are All Right at the aforementioned 16/1. Never Let Me Go, The Fighter and Fair Game are all at 20/1 with Miral and Get Low at 25/1. Shutter Island and The American are the outside bets at 33/1. 
Ask yourself this - how many punters from this generation will ever get the chance to place a bet on Secretariat?