It’s Been Proven, Size Doesn’t Matter!

Whether you are or aren’t a horse loving fan, Seabiscuit brought Everybody to a standstill on November 1st, 1938, for one minute and 56 seconds.

Born on May 23rd, 1933 in Lexington KY. Seabiscuit was a small Bay thoroughbred racehorse, with knobby knees and an undersized frame and a stunted tail. He was sent to Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons world-renowned horse trainer at the infamous powerful Wheatley Stables.

Although Fitzsimmons saw some potential in Seabiscuit, he wasn’t happy with him. He called him ‘lazy’ due to his eating and sleeping all the time. Fitzsimmons worked the 2 yr. old with a heavy race schedule and on brutally hot days. He ran a brutal 43 races in the racing season actually to the point of almost animal abuse.

He put him up for sale at $2500.00 but had no takers.

The next race at Suffolk Downs; called a claiming race; a race where horses can be sold after performing; fate would step in. Seabiscuit was seen by Charles Howard and the infamous Trainer Tom Smith, and for $8000.00, Charles Howard was the new owner.

Unlike in the movie, Red [called because of his distinct red hair] Pollard's family did not desert him. He left home at 15 to pursue his career as a Jockey. He was placed in the care of an uncle who subsequently abandoned him at a racetrack in Butte Montana. Boxing became his income along with doing the lesser lowly jobs at the stables. While breezing a horse, a piece of metal from a horseshoe flung up at him and cost him his vision in one eye. He would spend the next couple of years trying to find himself. Pollard did stay in contact with his family visiting them in Canada during the off-season.

At 5’7", Pollard was taller than your average Jockey. Due to his own very sad abusive past, Pollard would go on to have an incredible bond with abused and troubled horses.

In 1936, on his way heading north, a freak car accident happened and as fate would have it, Pollard and Smith found each other at the fairgrounds in Detroit. From there, it was history.

Seabiscuit and Pollard were a match made in heaven.

On November 1st, 1938, the Match race [a race between 2 horses] that stopped the nation for 1 minute and 56 seconds took place at Pimlico racetrack in MD. President Roosevelt stopped a cabinet meeting to listen to the race along with 40 million other people across the USA.

War Admiral was the favorite being over a foot taller than the 15.2 hands Seabiscuit. But Seabiscuit had something War Admiral didn’t.

Seabiscuit had a heart.

With Red Pollard down due to injuries he received in a fall from breezing a horse {breezing is basically working out a horse at their own pace} for a friend, he summoned “The Iceman”, World-renowned Jockey George Woolf to ride the horse in the match race of the century.

George Woolf was called The Iceman due to cool skilled manner on his mounts.

Pollard let Woolf onto Seabiscuit’s secret of pulling him back so he could look his opponent in the eye and see what he was up against and just like a shot of adrenaline, the little horse will realize his power and fly into oblivion. And that’s exactly what Seabiscuit did!

You can watch the race here:

https://youtu.be/WVT2MPNCqgM

George Woolf later told the press that War Admiral’s eyes rolled up in his head and his tongue spilled all the way out of his mouth. It’s the ultimate sign from any horse that their soul has been broken.

Woolf looked at the horse's jockey and said, “So Long Charlie!”

It would be the greatest long-living phrase in history.

Pollard went on to race with the Biscuit in one last race. It was Pollard's personal vendetta to win the race at Santa Anita he had lost at the very beginning of the season. But Howard’s heart was sad. Pollard was still rehabilitating from a broken shin/ankle. He was afraid for his best friend. That’s when Woolf stepped in.

“Sometimes it’s better to break a man’s leg than to break a man’s heart”. George Woolf, famous world jockey, speaking to Charles Howard on Pollard riding Seabiscuit at The Santa Anita track.

Pollard won with a vengeance! It would be Seabiscuit’s last race. He was retired and lived out his days at Howard’s ranch.

Seabiscuit very unexpectedly passed away on May 17th, 1947, from a heart attack.

He was only 14.

Thanks for reading!

Credits: photos Bing images Pinterest AP. americasbestracing.net

Wikipedia Biographies.com pbs.org New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)