Until then he had been largely unknown now he had everyone’s attention. This was his “coming out party,” so to speak. Seabiscuit ran well leading up to it, winning one big race, but narrowly lost the Santa Anita Handicap when another horse came from behind to win by a nose. A new race begun only two years before, it offered a whopping $100,000 purse. From there they moved to California, Howard’s home base, to prepare for the Santa Anita Handicap early in 1937.

Toward the end of 1936, the team started seeing the results of their work when Seabiscuit won his third race, the Governor’s Handicap, in Detroit.

From there, they worked to reignite Seabiscuit’s old racing instincts. After Pollard concluded that Seabiscuit should be treated with care and never whipped, Smith knew he had found the right man. Around this time, a jockey named Red Pollard came looking for work and Smith had him ride Seabiscuit to get a feel for the horse. Riders let him run freely since he resisted taking directions. Smith began by working to strengthen him physically and soothe his nerves. Made into a major motion picture starring Toby Maguire and Jeff Daniels.Howard had made his fortune in the automobile business and Smith had learned his trade in the fading “Old West.” When Seabiscuit came to the pair, he was mentally and physically worn out from all the racing the Wheatley barn had put him through. This is a story which topped the bestseller charts for over two years a riveting tale of grit, grace, luck and an underdog’s stubborn determination to win against all odds. Read more racing until a chance meeting of three men. Misunderstood and mishandled, Seabiscuit had spent seasons floundering in the lowest ranks of. He was a cultural icon and a world-class athlete – and an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse by the name of Seabiscuit.

In 1938 one figure received more press coverage than Mussolini, Hitler or Roosevelt. From the author of Unbroken – a major motion picture releasing in 2015 – this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit. From the author of Unbroken - a major motion picture releasing in 2015 - this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit.

Seabiscuit by laura hillenbrand