How did the famous racehorse Seabiscuit defy the appearance of the traditional champion?

Answer 1

Seabiscuit (1933-1947), a grandson of the great racehorse Man O' War, was a small stallion, standing just 15.2 hands high, with short, crooked legs, and a tendency toward laziness. Although he was born at the prestigious Claiborne Farm and initially trained by the legendary Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Seabiscuit's early racing career was less than stellar. Relegated to a punishing series of small races, the stallion lost his first ten starts, and usually finished at the back of the pack. During the next racing season, he started 35 times, but won only five races.

Because Seabiscuit failed to live up to his potential, he was sold to Charles S. Howard as a three-year-old for $8,500 (approximately $100,000 today, adjusted for inflation).

In 1936, the horse was paired with a new trainer, Tom Smith, who not only saw Seabiscuit's potential, but was able to overcome his sluggishness. Smith and jockey Red Pollard, a poor Canadian trying to start his American racing career, immediately began seeing an improvement in Seabiscuit, who went on to win several large races at the end of the 1936 season.

In early 1937, Howard and Smith entered Seabiscuit in the Santa Anita Handicap, California's most important and richest race, sporting a purse of over $125,000 (1.5 million today). In his first race of the season at Santa Anita Park, Seabiscuit won easily. In his second race, in San Antonio, Texas, the four-year-old was bumped by another horse coming out of the gate, and finished in fifth place. A highly acclaimed horse named Rosemont won.

His third race of the season was the famed Santa Anita Handicap, where he trailed the favorite, Special Agent, for half a mile. Although both Seabiscuit and Rosemont overtook the tiring front-runner and battled hard for the lead, Seabiscuit slowed on the straightaway and lost by a nose.

Following the close second in Santa Anita, owner Charles Howard decided to move Seabiscuit to the more prestigious Eastern racing circuit, where the horse began winning regularly.

Word about Seabiscuit's lackluster early career spread, and the horse, who symbolized hope for the working man during the Great Depression, became a national favorite. By the end of 1937, Seabiscuit had won 11 of his 15 races, and was the leading money winner for the year. The horse became an instant celebrity.

But some people were less impressed. 1937 was the year War Admiral, the tiny 15.0 hand son of Man O' War, won the triple crown and was voted Eclipse Horse of the Year. This started a dispute over which was the better horse: War Admiral, the rich man's favorite, or Seabiscuit, the blue collar man's dream.

On November 1, 1938, Seabiscuit and War Admiral finally met in a highly publicized match race (only two horses running) at Pimlico Downs. The press dubbed the mile and 3/16 race the "Match of the Century." Despite Seabiscuit's popularity, War Admiral was widely favored to win, with odds of 4:1.

Both horses broke fast from the gate, with Seabiscuit leading by a length for more than 20 seconds. War Admiral ran faster, gradually catching, then overtaking Seabiscuit on the back stretch. The two ran almost neck and neck until they were 200 yards from the finish, then Seabiscuit burst forward and beat the great War Admiral by a stunning four lengths.

As a result of his racing success that year, and his victory over War Admiral, Seabiscuit was voted Eclipse Horse of the Year for 1938.

Seabiscuit differed from the traditional racing champion in several ways: 1) he was smaller than the typical race horse, at 15.2 hands; 2) he had crooked legs, which should have resulted in injury earlier in his career; 3) he had a tendency toward laziness, instead of the heart and desire of most champion racehorses; 4) he showed little promise during his first two years of racing, and was cast aside by the famous trainer, Fitzsimmons; 5) His new trainer and jockey were both considered "unknowns" in the racing industry; 6) He represented hope for working people during the Great Depression because of his humble background; 7) He defeated the 1937 Horse of the Year, War Admiral, despite the expectation he would lose.