The True Story Of Seabiscuit
About The Programme
He was the most popular living thing in America. In 1938, the racehorse Seabiscuit garnered more newspaper column inches than any other individual man or beast - FDR came in second, with Hitler third. He was the perfect hero for the Depression: at first a struggling, unfashionable galloper who lost each of his first 16 starts, but who, once taken over by a new owner, trainer and jockey, soared to become a national icon.
This is the extraordinary story of how a horse - and those three men - all overcame obscurity and hardship to team up to become the biggest name in sports. But it's a story that goes way beyond sports - Seabiscuit so captivated the public that as many as 40 million people would listen to him race on radio, thousands travelled cross-country just to see him, and President Roosevelt once refused to start a cabinet meeting until he heard the end of a race.
It's no surprise that this inspirational story was the subject for two Hollywood movies, one in 1949 starring Shirley Temple and again in 2003 with Tobey Maguire. This television special tells the real story.
Seabiscuit
From 1936 to 1940, Americans clamoured to see this remarkable thoroughbreed. Although descended from a champion stallion called Man O’ War, Seabiscuit didn’t seem to inherit the gait of a racer. His body was thick, his legs stubby and his tail was stunted. His left foreleg lurched out in an ungainly fashion when he ran – and some characterised this motion as an ‘eggbeater gait.’
As a young horse, he showed little interest in running at full speed. His first trainer James Fitzsimmons called him lazy. One jockey who rode the horse described him as “mean, restive and ragged.”
The horse was given a new lease of life when he was given over to the care of trainer Tom Smith who began looking after Seabiscuit by feeding him the best quality hay. He was also given a large stall and moved in with a gentle-natured horse called Pumpkin who would become Seabiscuit’s lifelong companion. A stray dog called Pocatell and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo joined the two horses living in this strange menagerie.
Seabiscuit’s new jockey, Red Pollard brought some great races out of the horse. In 1937, Seabiscuit won 11 of his 15 races and was the leading money winner in America that year. The thoroughbreed’s popularity was growing fast in America, so much so that in a 1938 race with the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, 40 million people – one out of three Americans – tuned in their radios to listen. In a thrilling race, Seabiscuit won by four lengths.
Six weeks after this momentous race, Seabiscuit stumbled and ruptured his ligament. However, his owner Charles Howard refused to retire the horse, instead giving him a long rest. Then in 1940, Seabiscuit was entered into the Santa Anita Handicap, California’s most prestigious race and worth over $125,000 in prize money. To the amazement of everyone, Seabiscuit won, making this one of the most remarkable comebacks in racing history.
After retiring, Seabiscuit was put out to stud and sired 108 foals. Over 5,000 visitors went to visit Ridgewood Ranch in California, where Seabiscuit spent his last seven years.