“A horse, a gun and a woman,” a Turkish proverb proclaims, are the three things a man needs.

Horses have an exceptional place in the Turk's culture and heritage, stemming from their nomadic, Central Asian ancestors, who spent a good part of their lives on horseback, including sleeping in the saddle. The ancient sport of jereed (javelin) — throwing long poles while on horseback — remained the ultimate test for demonstrating agility, courage and sportsmanship for centuries in the Ottoman Empire.

For modern Turks, however, the love of horses has moved to the racetrack. The Turkish Jockey Club estimates that there are some 4,000 licensed horse riders in Turkey, 6,000 horse owners and 700 jockeys. Horse racing is a $24 million industry, according to club chairman Yasin Kadri Ekinci.

The Turks love of a good horse race has recently been brought to the silver screen in a biopic about the record-breaking Bold Pilot. “Our Champion” (Bizim icin Sampiyon) premiered Dec. 7 and as of Jan. 7 had been seen by 1.6 million people. Lead at the box office the first week in January.