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Race Horse Pictures Biography

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Seabiscuit was one of the most remarkable Thoroughbred racehorses in history. From 1936 to 1940, Americans thronged to racetracks to watch the small, ungainly racehorse become a champion. He had an awkward gait but ran with dominating speed; he was mild-mannered yet fiercely competitive; and he was stubborn until he became compliant. His inferior performances as a young racehorse led to later dominance on the turf.

Not Regal

Although the stallion was descended from the legendary Man o’ War through his handsome son Hard Tack, Seabiscuit seemed to have little in common with his regal forebears. His body was thick, his legs were stubby, and his tail was stunted. His left foreleg jabbed out wildly when he ran; some called the motion an “eggbeater gait.”

Lazy

Worse still, as a young horse, he had shown little interest in running at full speed. “He was lazy,” asserted James Fitzsimmons, Seabiscuit’s first trainer, “dead lazy.” In retrospect, it appears the horse’s poor performance and attitude had more to do with the way he was treated than with his ability or character. As a three-year-old, the horse had run in 43 races, more than many Thoroughbreds complete in an entire career. To get him to achieve the speed they suspected he had, riders whipped him liberally.

Mean

Mid-way through his third season, when Seabiscuit came under the care of owner Charles Howard and trainer Tom Smith, he was refusing to eat and weighed 200 pounds less than he should. He paced nervously in his stall and lunged at anyone who came near him. One jockey who had ridden the horse before he was sold to Howard described him as “mean, restive and ragged.”

Strange Menagerie

Smith began Seabiscuit’s rehabilitation by feeding him a high-quality Timothy hay and letting him sleep as late as he wanted. The trainer, well aware that horses are fond of company, created a large stall for the new boarder, and moved in a sedate old horse named Pumpkin, a calming influence who would become Seabiscuit’s life-long companion. A stray dog named Pocatell took a liking to the stall and also moved in; so did a spider monkey living on the premises, named Jo-Jo. In the company of this strange menagerie, Seabiscuit relaxed, and the real work of training got underway.

Dazzling Performance

When Smith brought him back to the racetrack with his new jockey, Red Pollard, in the saddle, the Biscuit shocked them all. At different tracks and varying distances, Seabiscuit won. Soon, horse aficionados were picking him as a serious contender for the prestigious Santa Anita Handicap in southern Los Angeles, known for its $100,000 winner-take-all prize. In February 1937, Seabiscuit turned in a dazzling performance in the Handicap, but lost by just a nose after Pollard let up in the home stretch. His second place finish, though, catapulted the horse onto the national stage.

Taking All Comers

In March, Howard packed his horse off on an extensive cross-country racing campaign. “Seabiscuit will take on all comers,” he informed the press, “and he’ll mow them down like grass.” Howard was right; that spring and summer Seabiscuit flattened the competition up and down the Eastern seaboard. By August, there seemed to be only one horse who hadn’t fallen to Seabiscuit’s charge: the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. The stallion was the son of Man o’ War and considered by many to be the sole heir of his sire’s awesome speed.

Race Horse Pictures Images Wallpapers Photos 2013