Seabiscuit, the champion race horse that nobody wanted
Friday 24th October 2008
There can be few stories in the world of sport which can in any way match the fall, the rise, the fall and the rise of the greatest horse there has ever been, Seabiscuit. Born on the 23rd May 1933 in the US, Seabiscuit had a very tricky early career and after a number of false starts this ‘lazy’ horse was binned by legendary trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, but then the real fun began!
This legend to be was taken on by trainer Tom Smith who had some very unusual training methods but knew how to get the best out of a horse. Even though it took a couple of races to get Seabiscuit in shape and on his game, we were about to witness the rise of a true champion, a horse which became a hero for Americans in the great depression.
To cut a long story short, Seabiscuit suffered a serious injury just as his career was taking off and many thought he would never race again, but he came back bigger and better. Then win after win came and the weights went higher and higher – who could stop this horse?
The pinnacle was the his head to head with arch rival War Admiral on 1st November 1938 which saw 40,000 crammed into Pimlico Race Course and 40 million listening on the radio – remember this was 1938, the height of the depression. The champ duly obliged and won what has been named the ‘Match of the Century’ taking the glory and a massive payout.
Such is the horse’s celebrity status that his exact burial spot is only known by the owners immediate family!
There can be few stories in the world of sport which can in any way match the fall, the rise, the fall and the rise of the greatest horse there has ever been, Seabiscuit. Born on the 23rd May 1933 in the US, Seabiscuit had a very tricky early career and after a number of false starts this ‘lazy’ horse was binned by legendary trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, but then the real fun began!