biographies

This is more than a book about horse racing, it is a book about four fascinating people and a special horse during one of the USA's most interesting time periods. Seabiscuit was indeed an american legend, who came from humble beginnings and a rather undistinguished early racing career, to become Horse of the Year and a legendary racehorse.He was able to take on and defeat the more fashionably bred Triple Crown winner War Admiral in a memorable match race. Readers also get to meet the colorful characters associated with Seabiscuit: Charles Howard, Tom Smith, George Woolf, and Red Pollard. The exploits of Seabiscuit's jockeys Red Pollard and "Iceman" George Woolf provide a fascinating and (sometimes comical) read. Seabiscuit captured the imagination of late 1930s America; Franklin D. Roosevelt was a big fan and listened to Seabiscuit's races on the radio. The author explores the pedigree of Seabiscuit, a grandson of Man O'War. Seabiscuit's sire Hard Tack was a terror on and off the racetrack and at one point flatly refused to leave the starting post. I enjoyed this book tremendously and highly recommend it.

The former editor of Equus magazine retells the riveting story of an unlikely racehorse that became an American obsession during the Depression. Like all heroes of an epic, Seabiscuit had to endure setbacks, dispel doubts about his abilities, and contend with formidable rivals. Hillenbrand deftly mixes arcane horse lore with a narrative as compelling as any adventure yarn as she introduces first the men who would make Seabiscuit great and then the horse himself. Racing was a popular, often unregulated sport in the 1930s, and wealthy men like Bing Crosby and his friend Charles Howard, who became Seabiscuit's owner, fielded strings of horses all over the country. Howard, a sucker for lost causes, took on as his trainer Tom Smith, a taciturn westerner down on his luck who studied horses for days until he took their measure. Both men were well suited to invest emotionally and financially in Seabiscuit, as were the two jockeys who would be associated with him, Red Pollard and George Woolf. Howard first saw Seabiscuit racing in 1936. The colt was a descendant of the famous Man o' War, but his body was stunted, his legs stubby, and he walked with an odd gait. Smith believed he had potential, however, so Howard bought him and took him back to California. There Smith patiently worked on Seabiscuit's strengths, corrected his weaknesses, and encouraged his ability to run faster than any other horse. When Smith thought he was ready, Howard began racing the colt. Seabiscuit broke numerous track records, despite accidents, injuries, and even foul play. His fame was secured with a 1938 race against his rival, War Admiral; their contest divided the country into two camps and garnered more media coverage than President Roosevelt, who himself was so riveted by the race that he kept advisers waiting while he listened to the broadcast. A great ride.

I WASN'T interested in horses before, or horse racing, but I still really enjoyed this book. A real page turner, excellently written.