Little Miss Thoroughbred (1938)

"Nails" Morgan and his buddy Todd Harrington are following the racing from track-to-track across the country when Morgan suddenly finds himself "adopted" by a six-year-old orphan, Janet Smith. Janet has run away from an orphanage in search of a dream-father and Morgan meets her requirements. In the things she says and does, the superstitious Morgan finds betting hunches that pay off. After sneaking her back to the orphanage, he decides she is his meal-ticket and kidnaps her. Not knowing the circumstances, an Irish cop forces Morgan to marry his sweetheart, Madge Perry, in order to give Janet a legitimate father. Following the race season to the California tracks they acquire ownership of a horse, a big bankroll...and some misfortune in the form of a federal court-trial as kidnappers of the child.