Shubhabrata Dutta
Helmed by Brittany Underwood, Lifetime’s ‘Murder at the Derby’ follows Kara Miller, a young and talented equestrian who gets her dream job at the Silver Ridge Stables. She garners a lot of attention while training under Jennifer Rosemont, the owner of the prestigious stable. This is not liked by the latter’s brother, Stephen Rosemont, who becomes jealous due to being overshadowed by an outsider. Finding Kara a threat to his involvement in the family business, he soon takes a drastic step. With the story revolving around a stable business, the crew went all-in on establishing the narrative with authentic visuals.
Where was Lifetime’s Murder at the Derby Filmed?
The filming of ‘Murder at the Derby’ took place entirely in Kentucky, specifically in Lexington. Principal photography reportedly took place over three weeks in the month of October in 2024. The cast and crew had a great time filming at the picturesque location, enabling them not just to imbibe the narrative’s setting but also enjoy it and get back to their lives with lasting memories and friends.
Lexington, Kentucky
The crew resorted to various locations in Lexington, the county seat of Fayette County, to showcase the story’s theme. With special attention to beautiful horse farms as the backdrops, they established the significance of the title and the “derby” aspect of the plot. The city’s landscapes were utilized extensively for establishment shots, wide shots, shots involving the race course and horses, and other outdoor scenes. Several horse trainers were hired to train the actors, which was a crucial requirement for the movie. Many neighborhood streets were also captured with characters in the foreground.
Based on the time of day in the story, the crew had to use artificial lights to highlight the aesthetic. Wilmore, located in Jessamine County, which falls under the Lexington-Fayette metropolitan area, was particularly used to film several scenes. The Asbury Theological Seminary, the largest seminary of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement, is located here. Kentucky previously served as the setting for movies like ‘Wildcat,’ ‘Hazard,’ ‘Red Right Hand,’ and ‘Amber Alert.’
Murder at the Derby Cast Details
The ‘Murder at the Derby’ cast is led by the talented trio of Ronni Hawk, Kate Watson, and Daniel O’Reilly. Ronnie Hawk, AKA Veronica Faith Hawk, is a trained ballet dancer, having joined the Boca Ballet Theatre when she was 5. After stepping into modeling at 12, she starred in commercials and print ads for brands like Bank of America, KFC, and Bealls. She is also involved in social work, including the initiatives Young Storytellers Foundation and the Thirst Project. Next up is Kate Watson, a native Hawaiian who is also a ballerina. She learnt the dance form, which she addresses as her first love, from a young age and then at the Hawaii State Ballet. She later pursued theater studies in San Francisco. Finally, there is Daniel O’Reilly, who did gigs as a CBS news anchor, a model, and an actor in commercials, before shifting to acting in movies. He also had some success as a football player and is a member of actor/filmmaker BoJesse Christopher’s ‘Truth Be Told’ acting collective.
Ronni Hawk as Kara Miller
Ronni Hawk plays the protagonist Kara Miller in ‘Murder at the Derby.’ Ronni Hawk is primarily known for her performance as Rachel Diaz in the Disney comedy show ‘Stuck in the Middle.’ She also plays Olivia in the Netflix teen comedy series ‘On My Block.’ Besides these, she has also been a part of popular shows like Legacies, where she can be seen as Wendy, and ‘S.W.A.T.,’ where she is seen as Tiffany. While ‘Murder at the Derby’ is her TV movie debut, she made her feature film debut as Tomi Shaw in ‘Girl with a Gun.’
Kate Watson as Jennifer Rosemont
Kate Watson has a string of Lifetime performances to her name, including Naomi in ‘Deadly Hollywood Obsession,’ Renee in ‘American Psychos,’ Alison in ‘Her Deadly Groom,’ Donna Ward in ‘Killer Competition,’ Ivy Miller in ‘Who’s Stalking My Family,’ and Grace in ‘Fatal Memory.’ She can also be spotted as Julie Curtsinger in the Netflix true-crime docuseries ‘Heist.’ She made her feature film debut as Rosaland Golding in ‘Doctor Death,’ going on to star in ‘Killer Advice’ as Beth and in ‘Dangerous Snow Day’ as Kristen. You can also see her as Sergeant Hernandez in ‘Bridge of the Doomed’ and Lillia in ‘Castaways.’
Daniel O’Reilly as Stephen Rosemont
Daniel O’Reilly is a familiar face on television, his first TV role being Stephen Fountain in the series ‘Bad Sides,’ which came out in 2010. Since then, he has done a variety of roles, like Officer Taylor in ‘General Hospital,’ James McCormick in ‘Angel of Mercy,’ Fox in ‘Goliath,’ Scooter Vance in ‘Rusty Camel,’ and Daniel Boone in ‘Into the Wild Frontier.’ His first feature performance is as Danny in ‘Celine,’ which was released in 2015. His other notable feature film roles include Jack Ward in ‘The Girl on the Mountain,’ the Cannibal Leader in ‘Unto Us All,’ Isaac in ‘Christmas Angel,’ and Lone in ‘The Charisma Killers.’
Joining Hawk, Watson, and O’Reilly as additional cast is Candace Kirkpatrick, who plays Alexandra, Kara’s mom. You may recognize her as Janet from ‘Vindication’ and Adrianna from ‘Shiloh and Bros.’ She also plays Sofia in the Hallmark movie ‘Branching Out’ and Margaret March in the GAF (Great American Family) movie ‘A Little Women’s Christmas.’
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