Francis Ford Coppola had bought the rights to make "The Black Stallion" (1979), and when casting it, he called Rooney and asked him if he thought he could play a jockey. Rooney replied saying, "Gee, I don't know. I never played a jockey before." He was kidding, he said, since he had played a jockey in at least three past films, including "Down the Stretch", "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry", and "National Velvet". The film garnered excellent reviews and earned $40 million in its first run, which gave Coppola's struggling studio, American Zoetrope, a major boost. It also gave Rooney newfound recognition, along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.