Seabiscuit: An American Legend

  28 fans vault rail: 1938 Pimlico Special, video; America Online, ABC Sports racing page; “Seabiscuit Defeats Admiral,” Daily Mirror, November 2, 1938, p.34.

  29 Riddle’s reaction: “In the Paddock,” SB, November 1938; “Wife of Biscuit’s Owner in Tears,” SB, November 1938.

  30 “old pal Red …”: Audiotape, “Clem McCarthy’s Call of the Seabiscuit–War Admiral Match Race.”

  31 paddock scene: “40,000 Watch Seabiscuit Defeat War Admiral,” The New York Times, November 1, 1938; “Seabiscuit Beats War Admiral,” SB, n.d.

  32 “I said mine on the track …”: Ibid.

  33 Kurtsinger whispers in War Admiral’s ear: “Rodger H. Pippen,” SB, n.d.

  34 “If only Red …”: “Rider’s Views,” SB, November 1938.

  35 Woolf, Kurtsinger postrace quotes: “He’s the Best Horse,” San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1938; “Rival Jockey Lauds Biscuit,” SB, November 2, 1938.

  36 Pollard after race: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, November 3, 1938; “He’s the Best Horse,” San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1938; “Rider’s Views,” SB, November 1938.

  37 morning after: “War Admiral’s Trainer Balks,” SB, November 1938.

  38 $1,500: “Woolf Shares Purse,” San Francisco Chronicle, SB, November 1938.

  CHAPTER 20

  1 Red rebreaks leg; George visits: “There They Go,” SB, December 1938.

  2 Babcock fixes leg: Edith Wilde, telephone interview, February 2, 1998; “Howard May Retire Seabiscuit,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Examiner, March 4, 1940, p. A16.

  3 ice in Maryland: “Biscuit, Work Balked by Weather, to Quit Pimlico,” Baltimore Evening Sun, December 1, 1938.

  4 crowds form in Columbia: “Seabiscuit Will Race at Santa Anita,” SB, n.d.

  5 “All four of his legs are broken …”: “Seabiscuit Here in Fine Condition,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, January 2, 1939, p. A10.

  6 “dumb farmer of a reporter …”: “Smith Denies Biscuit Not in Good Shape,” SB, December 25, 1938.

  7 “One hundred thirty-four is a lot of weight …”: “Seabiscuit Will Race at Santa Anita,” SB, n.d.

  8 horse had drawn more newspaper coverage: “Looking ’Em Over,” San Francisco News, SB, January 1939; B. K. Beckwith, Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion (Willfred Crowell, 1940), p. 33.

  9 “the affection that this inarticulate brown horse had aroused …”: “Hollywood,” SB, March 3, 1940.

  10 arrival at Santa Anita: “Seabiscuit, Sound and Eager, at Santa Anita,” SB, January 2, 1939.

  11 “No longer will there be any secrecy …”: “Seabiscuit’s People’s Horse, Says Boss,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, SB, January 1939.

  12 “Here comes the Biscuit”: “Rival Trainers, Owners,” San Francisco Examiner, SB, early 1939.

  13 new turn-gripping shoes: “Seabiscuit Gets Special Type Shoe,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, January 24, 1939, p. A12.

  14 hiding Kayak: “Argentine Takes Worst,” Los Angeles Examiner, March 5, 1939; “Kayak Trainer Given Credit,” Los Angeles Examiner, March 3, 1939; Salvator, “Horse of the Month,” Horse and Horseman, April 1939, p. 22.

  15 Smith worries over starting Seabiscuit: “Seabiscuit out of Cap,” SB, February 16, 1939.

  16 two thousand pounds of force: George Pratt, e-mail interview, February 13, 1998.

  17 Seabiscuit’s injury: “Champ Goes Lame,” Los Angeles Examiner, February 15, 1939; “Fear Seabiscuit’s Career at End,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, February 15, 1939, p. B7; “X Ray Leg,” SB, February 1939; “Howard Star Pops Knee at Santa Anita,” SB, February 14, 1939; “Seabiscuit’s Condition Better,” SB, February 1939; “Seabiscuit Still a Puzzle,” SB, February 1939.

  18 Woolf heard a sharp crack!: Moody, Come On Seabiscuit, p. 151.

  19 “Why did you do it?”: “Seabiscuit Still a Puzzle,” SB, February 1939.

  20 Postinjury scene at Howard barn: “Fear Seabiscuit’s Career at End,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, February 15, 1939, p. B7; “Leg Injury,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express, February 15, 1939, p. B7; “Track Observers Predict,” Pasadena Star News, February 15, 1939, p. 16; “Howard Star Pops Knee at Santa Anita,” SB, February 14, 1939; “Seabiscuit’s Fate Still in Doubt,” San Francisco Examiner, February 15, 1939, FD; “Seabiscuit Still a Puzzle,” SB, February 1939; “Seabiscuit Scratched,” SB, February 1939; “Seabiscuit out of Cap,” SB, February 1939.

  21 ruptured suspensory: “Seabiscuit to Stud,” Blood-Horse, March 18, 1939, p. 456.

  22 Buenos Aires was at a standstill: “Kayak to Pass,” SB, March 6, 1939.

  23 Howard reaction to ’39 hundred-grander win: “There They Go,” SB, March 1939.

  24 Marcela felt hollow: Moody, Come On Seabiscuit, p. 153.

  CHAPTER 21

  1 “Then I reckon I’ll have to …”: Moody, Come On Seabiscuit, p. 153.

  2 Howard stops going to track: “Biscuit May Come Back,” Los Angeles Times, SB, summer 1939.

  3 “A long, hard pull …”: “Howard May Retire Seabiscuit,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Examiner, March 4, 1940, p. A16.

  4 “We were a couple of old cripples …”: Beckwith, Step and Go Together, p. 120.

  5 horse and rider healed: Beckwith, Seabiscuit, p. 58.

  6 chasing deer: Ibid.

  7 “The Biscuit will come back …”: “Biscuit Secret Kept by Smith,” San Francisco Examiner, February 26, 1940, FD.

  8 “The whole ranch became centered on the job …”: Beckwith, Step and Go Together, p. 121.

  9 new stride: “Champ Ready,” SB, n.d.

  10 “Our wheels went wrong together …”: “Obituary: Red Pollard,” Blood-Horse, March 21, 1981, p. 1773.

  11 “You knew he wanted to race again …”: Beckwith, Step and Go Together, p. 121.

  12 No elite horse had ever returned to top form: John Hervey, American Race Horses 1940 (New York: Sagamore, 1941), pp. 200–201.

  13 Agnes sure Red can’t father child: Norah Christianson, telephone interview, January 26, 1998.

  CHAPTER 22

  1 “I am training a cripple …”: “Big Three of Racing on List for Handicap,” December 6, 1939, p. 23, SB.

  2 “We’ll run one-two anyway …”: “Smithiana,” Thoroughbred Record, February 23, 1957.

  3 Tommy Luther banned for “defiant and threatening attitude”: Farra, Jockeying, p. 63; Tommy Luther, telephone interview, February 2, 1998; John Giovanni, telephone interview, January 23, 1998.

  4 Pollard won’t join jockey meetings: Tommy Luther, telephone interview, February 2, 1998.

  5 Yummy fighting: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, March 8, 1940.

  6 Howard takes Pollard off filly: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, February 3, 1940.

  7 Pollard’s secret terror: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 186.

  8 Pollard criticized: Barry Whitehead, “Seabiscuit’s Santa Anita Handicap,” Thoroughbred Record, March 9, 1940, p. 195.

  9 “My left-handed rooting section …”: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, February 27, 1940.

  10 “And none so poor …”: untitled, Morning Telegraph, SB, winter 1940.

  11 Pollard’s drinking: Bill Buck, telephone interview, January 28, 1998; Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 187.

  12 “I got to wear glued shoes …”: Ibid.

  13 Yummy worried about drinking: Ibid.

  14 Smith and Howard argue: Sonny Greenberg, telephone interview, December 24, 1999; “Both Barrels,” San Francisco Call-Bulletin, March 4, 1940, FD.

  15 Woolf and Pollard argue: Farrell Jones, telephone interview, February 25, 1999.

  16 “It’s raining, Charley …”: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, February 1, 1940.

  17 “For hire …”: Ibid.

  18 all-jockey baseball team: “Seabiscuit May Soon
Be Shortstop,” San Francisco Chronicle, SB, n.d.

  19 “passing the ’Biscuit by …”: “Seabiscuit Is Still Big Question Mark,” San Francisco News, February 20, 1940.

  20 Red weeps on track: “Seabiscuit Runs Third,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 10, 1940, p. 4H.

  21 Red and Yummy to Caliente: “Me and the Biscuit,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 1940, p. 4H.

  22 Seabiscuit props: “Difference of Opinion,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 1940, FD.

  23 He has nothing left: “Hundred Grand,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 1940, p.2H.

  24 propping as omen: “Difference of Opinion,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 1940, FD.

  25 Howard sends retainer to Haas: “Seabiscuit Charges to Victory,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 25, 1940; “Great Ride to Victory,” SB, February 25, 1940.

  26 Pollard visits Alexander: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, pp. 186–87.

  27 rabbit’s foot: “Racing Pays If You’re Lucky,” San Francisco Chronicle, winter 1940.

  28 “It’s Seabiscuit, wire to wire …”: “A Cinch,” SB, February 25, 1940.

  29 men doff hats to horse: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telgraph/Daily Racing Form, March 2, 1940.

  30 “as a country boy can throw an apple …”: “The Biscuit—As Far as You Can Throw an Apple,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 25, 1940; “Great Ride to Victory,” SB, February 25, 1940.

  31 sounder than he’d been in two years: “A Cinch,” SB, February 25, 1940.

  32 “Just give us a fast track …”: “Pollard Confident,” SB, n.d.

  CHAPTER 23

  1 weather bureau calls: “Hollywood,” SB, March 3, 1940.

  2 “Kayak’s four mud-running legs …”: “Rain Renews Seabiscuit’s Anita Jinx,” San Francisco Call-Bulletin, February 29, 1940, p. 21.

  3 morning of race: Beckwith, Seabiscuit, pp. 10–13.

  4 “Be with him …”: Beckwith, Step and Go Together, pp. 108–109.

  5 prerace blowout: “Turnstiles Clicking,” SB, early March 1940; Beckwith, Seabiscuit, pp. 10–13.

  6 scene at Santa Anita: Barry Whitehead, “Seabiscuit’s Santa Anita Handicap,” Thoroughbred Record, March 9, 1940, p. 195.

  7 half a million words: “Turnstiles Clicking,” SB, early March 1940.

  8 Saint Christopher medal: “Kayak Could Have Won,” San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1940.

  9 history’s largest crowd: “Seabiscuit Great in Victory,” Los Angeles Examiner, SB, March 1940.

  10 “I’d seen Johnny’s leg …”: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 188.

  11 “sidled up to me …”: Ibid., pp. 187–88.

  12 “You know the horse …”: “The Biscuit Is Too Tough!” San Francisco Examiner, March 5, 1940.

  13 Howard at the paddock: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, March 5, 1940; Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 188.

  14 Alexander thought of Huck Finn: Ibid.

  15 Marcela runs toward wagon: Beckwith, Seabiscuit, p. 61.

  16 sprinters hard-pressed to equal time: American Racing Manual 1938 (New York: Regal Press, 1938), pp. 196–360 (top sprint race times).

  17 crying out a prayer: “I Just Sat and Watched,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 1940, p.3H.

  18 “Now, Pop!”: “Sports,” New York Journal American, SB, n.d.

  19 Hernandez’s voice cut over the crowd: There They Go: Racing Calls by Joe Hernandez, album released by Los Angeles Turf Club, n.d.

  20 We are alone: “I Just Sat and Watched,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 1940, p.3H.

  21 Marcela up on the water wagon: “The Post Parade,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, March 5, 1940.

  22 leaping, shouting reporters: “As Bill Leiser Sees It,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 1940, SB.

  23 Haas had never heard such thunder: “Haas Impressed,” SB, March 1940.

  24 Haas says he could not have beaten Seabiscuit: “Howard May Retire Seabiscuit,” Los Angeles Evening Herald and Examiner, March 4, 1940, p. A16.

  25 crowd reaction: Whitehead, “Seabiscuit’s Santa Anita Handicap,” p. 195; “So Seabiscuit Took the Hundred Thousand,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 1940, p. 3H; “Chalk Brigade Reaps Harvest,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 1940; “Hollywood,” SB, March 3, 1940.

  26 “Listen to this crowd roar!”: There They Go: Racing Calls by Joe Hernandez.

  27 “like a man who temporarily had visited Olympus …”: “Sun Beau’s Mark,” SB, early March 1940.

  28 “Best-smelling drink I ever tasted …”: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 189.

  29 Red takes shots at George: “To the Point,” San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1940, section 2, p. 2.

  30 “Ha-ray for Seabiscuit!”: “Extra Cheer for Biscuit,” SB, early March 1940.

  31 “Oh … that I lived to see this day …”: “Can Challedon or Kayak Whip Him?” San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 1940, FD.

  32 “you put up a great ride …”: “Seabiscuit Gets Recognition at Last,” San Francisco Examiner, February 2, 1944.

  33 “Little horse, what next?”: Stoneridge, Great Horses of Our Time, p. 34.

  34 worth his weight in gold: “Seabiscuit First Worth Weight in Gold,” SB, March 1940.

  35 “Seabiscuit is Mr. Howard’s horse …”: “Biscuit Trainer Hails,” San Francisco Examiner, March 12, 1940.

  36 Howard calls Smith: “Silent Tom Smith,” SB, March 16, 1940.

  37 gathering at the Derby: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, pp. 189–190.

  EPILOGUE

  1 Seabiscuit leaves Santa Anita: “Turf Champion Leaves,” SB, April 11, 1940.

  2 “Seabiscuit … is the greatest horse …”: David Alexander, “New England Racing,” Blood-Horse, August 1, 1942, p. 159.

  3 George sick, thin: “Turf in Review,” Morning Telegraph/Daily Racing Form, January 8, 1949.

  4 “There was one thing special you can say about George …”: “Tom Smith Reminisces About Woolf, ’Biscuit,” Daily Racing Form, February 1953.

  5 left lucky kangaroo-leather saddle in trunk: Jenifer Van Deinse, e-mail interview, March 27, 2000.

  6 Woolf’s fall: “The Iceman Dies in California,” Blood-Horse, February 23, 1946, p. 86; Bill Buck, telephone interview, January 28, 1998; Sonny Greenberg, telephone interview, December 24, 1999; Wad Studley, telephone interview, February 6, 1999.

  7 friends heard Woolf’s head hit track: Wad Studley, telephone interview, February 6, 1999.

  8 George’s friends turned away: Ibid.

  9 George’s funeral: Bill Buck, telephone interview, January 28, 1998; “Turfdom Pays Final Tribute to Woolf,” Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1946; Mike Griffin, telephone interview, January 23, 1998.

  10 “who has Woolf’s book?”: “A Report on Pollard,” Blood-Horse, March 9, 1946, p. 669.

  11 “George Woolf is at Santa Anita …”: Jack Shettlesworth, “Woolf Statue Unveiled,” Thoroughbred Record, February 19, 1949.

  12 Elizabeth Arden Graham: Bolus, Remembering the Derby (Gretna, La.: Pelican Publishing Company, 1994), pp. 179–96; “Lady’s Day in Louisville,” Time, May 6, 1946, pp. 57–63.

  13 Riddle speaks to Smith: “Tom Smith Reminisces About Woolf, ’Biscuit,” Daily Racing Form, February 1953.

  14 Smith accused of drugging horse: “Tom Smith and His Atomizer,” Blood-Horse, November 17, 1945, pp. 1007–9; “Tom Smith Ruling Stands,” Blood-Horse, February 23, 1946, pp. 521–28.

  15 Smith not deserving of punishment: “Lady’s Day in Louisville,” p. 63.

  16 Graham hires attorney, Jimmy Smith: Bolus, Remembering the Derby, p. 188.

  17 “Those bastards …”: Ibid.

  18 training one filly: Leonard Dorfman, interview, November 12, 1999.

  19 Almost no one comes to Smith’s funeral: Tommy Bell, telephone interview, June 22, 1999.

  20 “I’ll never throw a leg over another horse …”: David Alexander, “Four Good Legs Betwee
n Them,” Blood-Horse, December 24, 1955, p. 1558.

  21 “barnacle on wheels of progress …”: “Barnacle Red,” Blood-Horse, February 2, 1957, p.301.

  22 Giangaspro’s death: Sam Renick, telephone interview, December 5, 1997.

  23 Satos in the Kaiser Suite: “New Guests in Seabiscuit’s Stable,” SB, n.d.

  24 Pollard tries to enlist: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 184.

  25 taken to hospital in laundry basket: Edith Wilde, telephone interview, February 2, 1998.

  26 “me and Methuselah …”: “Obituary: Red Pollard,” Blood-Horse, March 21, 1981, p. 1773.

  27 “Maybe I should have heeded …”: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 183.

  28 “I’m hanging up my blouse for good …”: Alexander, “Four Good Legs,” p. 1558.

  29 “You Made Me What I Am …”: Alexander, A Sound of Horses, p. 178.

  30 Pollard’s post-riding jobs: Ibid., p. 168.

  31 Never beats alcoholism: Norah Christianson, telephone interview, January 26, 1998.

  32 Red sat by, mute: Ibid.

  33 hospital built atop Narragansett: Ibid.

  34 No cause of death was ever found: Ibid.

  35 “It was as if …”: Ibid.

  36 Howard hangs sign on Redwood Highway: “Both Barrels,” SB.

  37 Fifty thousand visitors: Jack McDonald, “Seabiscuit,” Spur, August 1983, p.33.

  38 Fifteen hundred at a time: “Both Barrels,” SB, n.d.

  39 Seabiscuit’s life at Ridgewood: Ibid.

  40 Seabiscuit sleeps under tree: Bill Nichols, telephone interview, January 14, 1998.

  41 herding cattle: Jane Goldstein, “Seabiscuit Cover-Up,” Blood-Horse, March 13, 1978, p.1244.

  42 bomb shelter: “Seabiscuit Gets Own Bomb Shelter!,” SB, December 25, 1941.

  43 ambulance: “Howards Give U.S. Ambulance,” San Francisco Examiner, October 16, year unknown, SB.

  44 bomber: “Seabiscuit Bomber,” SB, n.d.; “Navy Bomber Crew Back,” SB, n.d.

  45 gives Seabiscuit shoe to pilot: “Seabiscuit Shoe Races Across German Skies,” SB, n.d.

  46 “there will never be another Seabiscuit”: Jack McDonald, “Seabiscuit,” Spur, August 1983, p. 33.