Description
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. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes: Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. 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. 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.
Joshuah Ernser @yherman_327
June 8, 2021
4
Incredible book. Laura Hillenbrand did the deep research not only on Seabiscuit, but the evolution of hors racing in the U.S. Then she wrote a compelling narrative about Seabiscuit and the people who owned, trained and rode him. Jockey Johnny "Red" Pollard, trainer Tom Smith and owner Charles Howard come to life in the book. Hillenbrand is a master of conveying their personal successes and failures with understanding and sensitivity. And the insights into professional horse racing were spellbinding. Great read. Can't wait for Hillenbrand's next work.