Prize-winning racehorse Lost in the Fog is in full flight in this scene from writer-director John Corey’s documentary of the same name, set to be shown tomorrow afternoon as part of the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Writer-director John Corey’s documentary Lost in the Fog, which will be screened tomorrow afternoon as part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival, is a Seabiscuit story for the 21st century.

All the elements of a good horse story are here — a crusty old (88, in fact) owner, a regular-guy trainer, a fast-as-lightning colt with an unlikely name and a lot of heart who came out of nowhere to win and win and win, all followed by a tragic footnote that turns the story inside out. Best of all, like the courageous Seabiscuit of the Depression years, Lost in the Fog was a real horse.

Shortly after reading about Lost in the Fog and his rapid rise in the horse racing world, Corey contacted his owner, the plainspoken Harry Aleo, made a quick friendship with the feisty conservative, and began filming his movie. It became so much of an obsession that Corey quit his job as a producer at a San Francisco TV station to follow what seemed to be an ever-growing story as Lost in the Fog won his first 10 races in 2005. But the way it would all turn out in the end was something no one involved with the horse’s winning career could ever have imagined.

Corey has laid out his story with more of the feel of a feature film than a documentary, something that’s helped tremendously by having two very colorful, interesting characters at the film’s center.

Aleo doesn’t mince words, even when he’s being questioned by an ESPN reporter with the most banal questions. For Aleo, the race horse is not only the best thing that has happened to him, but it has given him his second wind. He’s overwhelmed by the headline-grabbing success of Lost in the Fog who, for a time anyway, seems unbeatable on the track.

Greg Gilchrist is the horse’s easy-going trainer who knows this is the best horse he’s ever had, yet doesn’t want to put a lot of pressure on the animal by getting him ready to run in one of the biggest races of the year, the Kentucky Derby. With great deliberation, Gilchrist says, “It wasn’t the right thing to do. We knew what the best thing for the horse was, and for us. We’re blessed to have the one horse we have.”

Corey makes it clear that both Aleo and Gilchrist love Lost in the Fog. The only quibble with the film, however, is that Corey’s camera never develops an intimate relationship with the horse, which is seen racing on the track from a distance. Aleo talks about what a one-of-a-kind his horse is, but we only have the horse’s record and Aleo’s word to go on.

Although Aleo has resisted selling the horse despite many offers, there comes a time when he finally decides that Lost in the Fog might be better off retiring and going to stud. After all, a $12 million offer is hard to ignore.

But then fate intervenes in a big way in a plot twist that might be considered too far out if it weren’t all true. Remarkably, Corey’s camera is there every step of the way to catch the film’s moments of high drama in this one-of-a-kind horse story about a one-of-a-kind horse.

Lost in the Fog will be shown at 3:15 p.m. tomorrow at the Columbus Theatre’s upstairs Cinematheque screening room. Tickets are $10 at the door.

****Lost in the Fog

Rated: Not rated, contains profanity.

mjanuson@projo.com