But Seabiscuit's victories are at smaller races. This book is a history that centers around a very unique horse, Seabiscuit, who was sired by the speedy but temperamental Hard Tack on a mare named Swing On. Seabiscuit is the story of a very unlikely champion race horse and the three men who worked tirelessly to help him fulfil his deeply hidden potential. Seabiscuit finishes second in the San Antonio, and Woolf is poised to ride Seabiscuit in Santa Anita. His automobiles were not widely accepted until the 1906 earthquake, when they became the only viable ambulances. The foal of a mare named Swing On by the fast infamously vicious stallion Hard Tack, who was in turn sired by the legendary Triple Crown winner Man o' War (who also sired War Admiral). We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The Epilogue briefly finishes off the life stories of Seabiscuit, Pollard, Howard, and Smith. Meanwhile, a man is caught attempting to sneak into Seabiscuit's stall and shove a sponge up his nose to interfere with his breathing. His unorthodox training techniques helped cure Seabiscuit of several of his bad habits, including stubbornness and laziness. Plot Keywords These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. 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. Seabiscuit captured the nation's imagination at the height of the Great Depression. | Another common trait between Tom, Seabiscuit and Red is that they have been called crazy by those in traditional horse racing circles. But in a prep race, Woolf feels Seabiscuit stumble. His right leg is seriously broken and is almost completely severed below his knee. His marriage collapsed not long afterwards. Read the Study Guide for Seabiscuit: An American Legend…, Seabiscuit: How An Underdog Became a Champion. 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. In Chapter 19, Charles Woolf races Seabiscuit against War Admiral and wins handily. Red Pollard, Seabiscuit's jockey, kept his blindness in one eye a secret as his career would have been over if people knew about it. Seabiscuit: An American Legend essays are academic essays for citation. This book is a history that centers around a very unique horse, Seabiscuit, who was sired by the speedy but temperamental Hard Tack on a mare named Swing On. Tall, photogenic, and well aware of the importance of image, Ron Howard never completely recovered from the accidental death of his son, Frankie. this section. The Question and Answer section for Seabiscuit: An American Legend is a great will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. He and Marcela opened a stable in 1935 and bought Seabiscuit in 1936. this section. Woolf gallops Seabiscuit forward, is overtaken by the lightly-weighted Stagehand, but Seabiscuit accelerates again for another photo finish... and another loss. The film centers on three men, Red Pollard, Charles S. Howard, and Tom Smith who come together as, respectively, the principal jockey, owner, and trainer of championship racehorse, Seabiscuit. The introduction of radio made live broadcasts viable coast to coast, and the technology brought the nation together. Seabiscuit is the story of a very unlikely champion race horse and the three men who worked tirelessly to help him fulfil his deeply hidden potential. 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. Seabiscuit wins, but Ligaroti's jockey Spec Richardson fouls Woolf repeatedly and starts what amounts to a brawl on horseback. Pollard came from Edmonton, and George was from the Cardston area farther south. Seabiscuit was put out to stud but died of an apparent heart attack at age fourteen. It's the Depression, and everyone needs to hold onto a dream to get them through the bad times. Chapter 3 describes Seabiscuit's lineage and early life. Seabiscuit gets a cough, there is a plot to kidnap Woolf, and during the race Seabiscuit is fouled by a horse named Count Atlas not once or twice but repeatedly. This is really a classic American "underdog" story. Williams, R A, Grace Morones, et al. The chapter describes some of the ruses Smith used to distract reporters by switching Seabiscuit with his slower but identical-looking brother Grog. Both riders were from the Canadian province of Alberta. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. ", Taglines War Admiral is scratched almost immediately after that at a stakes race. Seabiscuit does not win all his races: he runs in the mud at Narragansett and finishes fourth. It also introduces one of Seabiscuit's weaknesses as a racer: his difficulties running in mud or on a wet track. An argument over Seabiscuit ends the jockeys' long friendship. In Chapter 23, Seabiscuit finally wins the Santa Anita, with Pollard riding him. But this created difficulties for Tom Smith, who did not appreciate the attention or the distraction. How did Charles and Marcela Howard feel before the race? 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. The first is trainer Tom Smith, who has a natural instinct to spot the capabilities of horses. Red Pollard, Seabiscuit's jockey, kept his blindness in one eye a secret as his career would have been over if people knew about it. Alfred Vanderbilt, who has just married Marcela's niece, sets up a match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral at the Pimlico racetrack. Seabiscuit was small enough to be mistaken for a pony, shaggy, and awkward-looking. Chapter 9 is set in 1937, when the United States is still in the grip of the Great Depression. It also describes the circumstances under which Howard met and married his second wife, Marcela, and the unusual chain of events that made Howard get involved in horse racing. His knees are slightly sore, so they scratch him from the race. Seabiscuit's primary rider, John "Red" Pollard, was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He is drawing more newspaper coverage than President Roosevelt or Adolf Hitler, and is being assigned high imposts, 134 pounds for 1939. It describes the weight limits, the fasting and sweating athletes endure to make weight, and the physical dangers and injuries that occur. Chapter 1 describes Charles Howard's early life, his rags-to-riches career as a bicycle salesman turned automobile dealer and then distributor.