The Great Match Race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral in 1938Įvoked heated partisan passions. Would he be as popular if he raced today? What did the public needĢ. Considering the temper of the times as well as the horse’sĮarly career on the racetrack, what were the sources of The Biscuit’sĮnormous popularity during that benchmark period of U.S.
More space in American newspapers than any other publicįigure. Seabiscuit grew so popular as a cultural icon that in 1938, he commanded Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:ġ. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail.
Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon.Īuthor Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains.
Three men changed Seabiscuits fortunes:Ĭharles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire.
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