The book tells the story of Seabiscuit, possibly the most famous American racehorse of all time, with special emphasis on the human beings who discovered him, trained him, and risked both their lives and their money on him.
Seabiscuit captured the nation's imagination at the height of the Great Depression. A classic underdog, the little horse with a big heart came back from what could have been a career ending injury to win the Santa Anita Handicap race in 1940. In an age when horses were becoming obsolete for travel and farming due to the popularity of automobiles, Seabiscuit and other equine athletes helped ensure that horse racing remained relevant as a sport.
The book begins by discussing Seabiscuit's owner, Charles Howard, a self-made multimillionaire who came to California in 1903 with a dream and a pocketful of change. He began by opening a bicycle repair store, recognized the potential of the new automobile technology, and acquired a Buick franchise. His automobiles were not widely accepted until the 1906 earthquake, when they became the only viable ambulances. Not long afterwards, Ron Howard became a very wealthy man. Tall, photogenic, and well aware of the importance of image, Ron Howard never completely recovered from the accidental death of his son, Frankie. His marriage collapsed not long afterwards. But after he married his second wife, Marcela, Howard took a renewed interest in horse racing. He and Marcela opened a stable in 1935 and bought Seabiscuit in 1936.
Seabiscuit's trainer, Tom Smith, was an old cowboy with an intuitive understanding of horse psychology. His unorthodox training techniques helped cure Seabiscuit of several of his bad habits, including stubbornness and laziness.
Seabiscuit's primary rider, John "Red" Pollard, was born in Edmonton, Alberta. A lover of classic literature and a man of many talents, Pollard lost most of the sight in one eye possibly as a result of an injury during his short boxing career. Plagued by injuries to his shoulder and his leg, Pollard's also struggled with alcohol.
Seabiscuit himself was born in late May 1933, so he was half a year younger than most of the racehorses in his age group. Racing against horses in low-stakes claiming races, he occasionally showed the speed associated with his sire, Hard Tack, but the constant racing and hard that kept him in shape also burned him out psychologically.
Tom Smith raced Seabiscuit selectively, avoiding the spotlight so as to keep Seabiscuit's handicap weight low. In February 1937 Seabiscuit lost the Santa Anita Handicap race by a nose, due most likely to jockey error because Pollard did not see another horse approaching on his blind side. After the Santa Anita loss, Seabiscuit won seven consecutive stakes races including the Butler Handicap and the Massachusetts Handicap despite carrying more weight than any other horse on the track due to the impost weight handicap intended to even out the racing field. However, Howard would not allow Seabiscuit to risk injury by carrying too much weight. Likewise, Seabiscuit had difficulty running in mud or wet weather.
The book covers Seabiscuit's second photo defeat at the 1938 Santa Anita Handicap, his somewhat controversial stakes race against Ligaroti, and his history-making defeat of War Admiral at Pimlico in 1938. It discusses the repeated rumors of a leg injury that dogged Seabiscuit through his career, and also the very real minor injury at Belmont and the rupture of his suspensory ligament in early 1939.
The third section of the book covers the dual comeback of Ron Pollard, whose leg was crippled in a racing accident, and Seabiscuit. The two finally won the Santa Anita Handicap race in 1940.
After winning the Santa Anita Handicap, Pollard continued as Howard's stable agent. He tried working as a trainer but ultimately returned to riding as long as he was physically able. Seabiscuit was put out to stud but died of an apparent heart attack at age fourteen.
