FSports Marketing Unit
Seabiscuit
Book: Seabiscuit by: Laura Hillenbrand
Movie: Seabiscuit Starring: Tobey MacGuire, Jeff Bridges, Chris
Cooper. Produced & Directed by: Gary Ross, 2003.
About Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was an unlikely champion. For two years he floundered at the lowest level of racing,
before his dormant talent was discovered by three men. One was Tom Smith, an arthritic old
mustang breaker. The second was Red Pollard, a half-blind jockey. The third was Charles
Howard, a former bicycle repairman who made a fortune by introducing the automobile to the
American West. Bought for a bargain-basement price by Howard and rehabilitated by Smith and
Pollard, Seabiscuit overcame a phenomenal run of bad fortune to become one of the most
spectacular, charismatic performers in the history of sports.
“About Racing During the Depression” (Taken from: www.pbs.org)
By the time the Great Depression descended on the nation like a bitter cold front, horse racing in
the United States was already in a deep freeze. It had gone cold during the first decade of the
twentieth century, after a series of race-fixing scandals triggered a wave of legislation making
betting illegal. The sport crumbled. At the turn of the century there had been 300 racetracks
nationwide; by 1908, only 25 remained. The American bans proved a boon to the Mexican horse
racing business, and Tijuana became a betting mecca.
1. What was the Great Depression? What happen?
Racing Renaissance
In the 1930s impoverished state governments, in search of ways to increase revenues, returned to
the potential honey pot of horse racing. In exchange for legalizing betting on the sport, one state
after another exacted steep taxes on racing revenues. The deal was mutually beneficial to private
investors and government tax collectors, and led to a 70 percent increase in the number of tracks
across the country. Crowds as large as had ever assembled for the sport turned up at the
racetrack.
2. Why did horse racing become so popular in the 30”s? Explain
Big Money
In 1933 California legalized betting on horses and the sport found a home north of the Mexican
border again. Near Los Angeles, investors spent about $3 million on the state-of-the-art Santa
Anita Park, which thrilled horse owners and racing fans everywhere by offering a $100,000
winner-take-all prize in its signature annual event, the Santa Anita Handicap. Today, the prize
would translate to over $7 million. Such extravagant prizes in economically sour times drew the
horses, and the horses drew the fans.
3. What is the Santa Anita race track? Why is it important for marketing a sport that the sport is
nationally watched or popular?
Depression-Era Diversions
People visited the track by the thousands every day, eager for the drama of a horse race. Horse
racing, along with baseball, dominated the sports world. Sports were not the only diversions
available to Americans struggling to grind out a living. Movie theaters transported viewers to
places as appealing as Oz, attracting 85 million people a week. Others preferred to take their
escape around the living room radio, listening to the heroic exploits of The Lone Ranger or Little
Orphan Annie.
4. Why are movies important during hard times? Explain
Dreaming of a Pay Day
The horses' power and beauty and the excitement of racing undoubtedly attracted
many to the grandstands. Another draw, though, was the possibility of pay day
that promised relief from the tight clamp of poverty for a week, a month, or, if a
long shot finished first in the big one, even a lifetime.
The Only Place to Bet
"The opportunities for gambling in the 1930s were very limited," says Gene Smith, the author of
many books on racing. "There were no state lotteries. Football was a very minor sport.
Professional basketball was a very minor sport. You wanted to bet on a prize fight, you had to go
find a bookie or something. There were casinos in Nevada, but how many people go to Nevada?
Hence the only place you could really bet was at a racetrack."
5. Remember there was NO Las Vegas at the time. Thus, for people want to gamble so they
would go to the race track. Why? What other sports did they bet on?
Come On, Seabiscuit!
Seabiscuit was a true crowd-pleaser. Bettors, whether they were the hardcore daily ones or casual
visitors, usually cheered a horse by its number: "Come on -- Number Three!" A large percentage
of horse fans seemed to connect with Seabiscuit, and he was one of the few horses they rooted
for by name.
A Underdog Who Triumphed
Fans, struggling to survive in their day-to-day lives, might have identified with the horse because
of his underdog status. His stance was not regal; his body was rather low-slung. He had an
awkward-looking gait. He had been mistreated as a young horse, raced and whipped too often,
treatment which had turned him into an under-achiever and a steady loser. He had his greatest
success at a relatively old age, another reason for fans to embrace him. He also had what many
thought would be a career-ending accident. Still, Seabiscuit came back to win the Santa Anita
Handicap with his jockey Red Pollard, who had a matching hard-luck story. That race, and a
glorious win, was his last, and it came in 1940, just as a trying decade was finally coming to a
close. Says Gene Smith: "This is the story of every happy-ending fairytale that Mother read to us
when we were in the nursery. And to a depression-ridden, anxious, frightened nation, it must
have come like a great sunrise."
6. What made Seabiscuit popular? Explain
7. Who was Red Pollard?
About Horse Racing
1. What three races make up the Triple Crown?
2. What is the difference between a filly and a colt?
3. Name three or more Historical Events that took place during the movie.
4. Describe the time period in which the movie takes place.
5. In the movie, Red Pollard (Tobey MacGuire’s character) says, “You don’t throw a life
away just because it’s banged up a little.” Relate this statement to your own life.
6. The Great Match Race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral in 1938 evoked heated
partisan passions. These passions spilled over on radio and into the daily prints, with each
colt leading a raucous legion of followers to the barrier at Pimlico Race Course that
autumn day. What were the differences separating these two horses, and what did each
competitor represent in the American experience that set one apart from the other?
7. All jockeys in the 1930s endured terrible hardships and hazards, starving themselves to
make weight, then competing in an exceptionally dangerous sport. For George Woolf and
Red Pollard, there were additional factors that compounded the difficulties and dangers
of their jobs--diabetes for the former and half-blindness for the latter. What have you had
to overcome in your life in order to achieve “greatness”?
8. What was the role of the press and radio in the Seabiscuit phenomenon? How did
Howard use the media to his advantage? How did the media help Seabiscuit's career, and
how was it a hindrance?
9. Horse racing and gambling in some parts of the country is illegal. List the Pros & Cons
of Legalized Horse Betting. Do you think it should be legal? Why?
Pros
Cons
10. Prepare a radio broadcast entitled "Seabiscuit: An Inspiring Story in a Troubled World."
The broadcast, which would be aired on New Year's Day 1939, should explain how the
exploits of Seabiscuit were a welcome diversion at a time of economic depression at
home and trouble overseas.
11. Compare and Contrast Seabiscuit’s “Era” to “Now”.
Seabiscuit-itis
Marketing of Seabiscuit (www.pbs.org)
In the late 1930s, as the Depression hovered persistently over the nation, Americans turned to
one newsmaker with joyous devotion. His name was Seabiscuit. One sportswriter called the
nation's addiction "Seabiscuit-itis."
Popular Athlete
"He may have been in his time the most popular athlete that America has ever produced," says
Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, An American Legend. The horse's popularity was fueled
by his remarkable feats on racecourses, but the man who owned the horse, Charles Howard,
stoked the fires of Seabiscuit's fame. Howard had made a fortune using innovative marketing
ploys. As a San Francisco distributor for Buick, he had offered driving lessons to uncertain
buyers, and accepted horses as trade-ins. But in 1936, at the age of 59, he turned a lifetime of
selling skills to his newest prospect: Seabiscuit.
Making a Superstar
"Charles Howard invented sports marketing," Hillenbrand says. "He would woo
the press every chance he got. He didn't want for this horse only to be
successful. He wanted him to be a superstar in America." In pursuit of column
inches, Howard sent reporters champagne and called them up with scoops. In
1938, as a result of Howard's constant promotion and his horse's exciting races,
Seabiscuit got more ink than President Franklin Roosevelt or Nazi leader Adolf
Hitler.
Spokeshorse
Behind Howard and the press came marketers who knew there was a buck to be made on the
back of such a popular racehorse. Railroads advertised "Seabiscuit Limited" trains to take fans to
his races. People carried their betting money in Seabiscuit wallets, and those who had a little
extra money in those wallets could splurge at Fifth Avenue shops to buy fancy Seabiscuit hats.
Race fans could play any of nine commercially-marketed games that bore the horse's name.
There were Seabiscuit toys and Seabiscuit wastebaskets. His image was used to promote dry
cleaning services, hotels and a pinball game. His profile was even slapped on crates bearing
Seabiscuit oranges.
The Rumor Mill
Seabiscuit inspired the kind of rumors that usually develop about
Hollywood stars. One inventive scribe wrote that trainer Tom Smith
poured two quarts of Golden Rod beer for Seabiscuit to drink before
each race. If this brew is denied the stallion, the imaginative writer
wrote, the horse "whinnies and stomps to indicate displeasure." The
Chicago Tribune joked in the summer of 1938 that "as a result of his
Maryland victory, Seabiscuit will get the Rhett Butler role in Gone with
the Wind."
The Height of the Frenzy
Americans developed extreme cases of Seabiscuit-itis in the months prior to his 1938 matchup
against the Eastern-bred champion War Admiral. But excitement mounted even higher in late
1939 when Howard announced that the horse, in a comeback from a bad injury, would race for
the $100,000 winner-take-all prize that had previously eluded him at the Santa Anita Handicap.
Movie theaters from coast to coast showed newsreel footage of Seabiscuit's races, which got top
billing over the the new Jimmy Stewart feature. (The Story of Seabiscuit, starring Shirley
Temple, would not be released until 1949.) Shortly after noon on the day of the race, Seabiscuit's
competition on the entertainment pages began to arrive at the racetrack: Jack Benny, Tyrone
Power, James Stewart, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, and Bing Crosby.
Believe the Hype
In a country with about half the population of today, 78,000 fans, about
the size of a current Super Bowl crowd, came to watch the star horse's last
race. As if to prove to all that the hype was not a commercial
exaggeration, Seabiscuit clocked the fastest mile-and-a-quarter in Santa
Anita's history, which was the second-fastest time ever run for that
distance on an American track. It's considered one of the greatest
comebacks in the history of American sports. "Oh," wrote columnist Jolly
Roger, "that I have lived to see this day."
Assignment: Marketing Seabiscuit
1. Describe your “Marketing Plan” for Seabiscuit BEFORE he won his first race.
2. Describe your “Marketing Plan” for Seabiscuit AFTER he beat War Admiral.
What to include in your Marketing Plans:
1. Types of Advertising Media you would use (remember the time period).
2. Cost of Advertising.
3. Your Target Market
4. Places where you would advertise.
Timeline
(Take from: www.pbs.org)
Directions: Use the Timeline below and select 10 events that you believe to the most
important to Seabiscuit’s Career (before, during, or after his life). Label their location on
the map of the United States.
1665
A piece of grassy pasture land on Long Island becomes the first official racetrack in North America.
1730
Bulle Rock, the first Thoroughbred horse in the American colonies, arrives from England.
1750
American horse breeders and racers establish the Jockey Club. Today, the club still defines standards and
regulations for racing, racecourses and breeding.
1770
In retaliation for the British Stamp Act, American colonists pass the Non-Importation Act. Horse
breeders and owners suspend the importation of Thoroughbreds from England.
1798
English racing legend Diomed is imported to Virginia. Having failed as a stud in
England, and with his best days thought to be behind him, the 21-year-old stallion
adapts happily to American life, siring so many children that he will be considered
the father of American Thoroughbreds.
1821
The first "skinned" racecourse opens. The dirt track, Union Race Course on Long Island, is much faster
than grass and will become the model for future tracks.
1823
Thoroughbreds American Eclipse and Sir Henry meet in three four-mile races at Union Race Course for
a first North versus South match-up. The Northern contender, Eclipse, wins. A North-South horse racing
rivalry will continue up until the Civil War.
1840
Westward-moving settlers take horse racing with them, establishing the sport in Illinois, Missouri, Texas,
and Louisiana.
1850s
Prospectors heading to the Gold Rush bring Thoroughbreds to California.
1861
1863
Thoroughbred racing suffers a huge setback during the Civil War. The breeding
centers of Virginia and the Carolinas are destroyed. Thoroughbreds are pushed into
military service.
A new racetrack opens in Saratoga, New York. The state is on its way to becoming the center of
American racing.
1866
1867
Jerome Park Race Course opens in New York City and becomes the headquarters of the American
Jockey Club.
The first Belmont Stakes is run at Jerome Park. The race will later move to
Belmont Park and become the third and final jewel in the Triple Crown.
1873
The first Preakness Stakes, which will become the second race of the Triple Crown, is run at Pimlico
Course in Maryland.
1875
The Kentucky Derby is first run at the Louisville Jockey Club Course, later known as Churchill Downs.
It will become the first trophy in the Triple Crown.
1881
An American-bred horse, Iroquois, wins the English Derby for the first time, proving the worth of
American horses internationally. By the mid-1890s, American Thoroughbreds will be imported to Japan.
1900
Horse racing fans can bet at over 300 racetracks across the country, but members of the rising
progressive movement include gambling among the social ills they campaign to reform.
1903
Charles Howard, who will later own Seabiscuit, arrives in San Francisco, California, with 21 cents to his
name.
1905
Howard manages to convince Detroit automobile manufacturer Will Durant to let him open a California
Buick dealership. Howard starts with three cars.
1906
April 18: The San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires destroy everything in a 4.7-square-mile
area, including 28,000 buildings. Charles Howard uses automobiles from his Buick showroom as rescue
vehicles when horses are injured or refuse to go down burning streets.
1908
Under the progressives' new anti-gambling laws, only 25 American racetracks are still operating. Some
racetracks begin using the pari-mutuel system, a French wagering system that replaces corrupt
bookmakers. The payment received for a win is determined by the number of bets placed on each horse.
A fixed percentage of the total amount wagered goes to the track and taxes.
1909
Gambling corruption at racetracks leads the California state legislature to ban betting on horses.
1910
Betting on horses becomes illegal in New York.
May 31: George Woolf, who will ride Seabiscuit in the great match race with War Admiral, is born.
November 1: Red Pollard, Seabiscuit's jockey, is born.
1915
1919
A filly named Regret wins the Kentucky Derby, running against a field of colts.
After World War I, horse racing booms. Tracks are now free from the problems of wartime rationing and
limited transportation. Increased use of the pari-mutuel system is slowly helping to make betting on
horses legal again. More racetracks open.
Sir Barton becomes the first horse to win all three of the most important stakes races for three-year-olds:
the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. This series of races will later be
known as the Triple Crown.
1926
May 8: Charles Howard, now wealthy from selling automobiles, and his wife Fannie Mae lose their son
Frankie in a car crash.
1928
Taking advantage of the ban on betting in California, Agua Caliente Racecourse in Tijuana, Mexico,
opens.
1929
Charles Howard, who is increasingly estranged from his wife, meets Marcela Zabala, the older sister of
his son's wife.
Tracks use mechanical starting gates for the first time.
October 29: The U.S. stock market crashes, triggering the Great Depression, the worst economic collapse
in the history of the modern industrial world.
1930
A sportswriter coins the term "Triple Crown" when Gallant Fox wins the Kentucky
Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.
1932
Charles Howard marries Marcela Zabala. They share a passion for horse racing.
1933
Racetrack betting becomes legal in California. Over the next six years, betting on horses will become
legal again in 21 states, as Depression-era governments struggle to find revenue. Times are tough: one in
four Americans is unemployed, and the average annual salary for those working is $1,367.
March 4: In his inaugural address President Franklin Delano Roosevelt tells Americans, "the only thing
we have to fear is fear itself..." A week later, nearly 60 million people sit by their radios to listen to
Roosevelt's first "fireside chat."
1934
May 23: Seabiscuit is born. He is the descendant of the great Thoroughbred Man o' War, through his son
Hard Tack.
Fall: James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, a successful Thoroughbred conditioner and Seabiscuit's first
trainer, notes Seabiscuit's speed in workouts. Fitzsimmons uses the whip on Seabiscuit to break the
horse's lazy habits.
Tom Smith seeks work at Agua Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico. There he meets Charles Howard, who hires
him as his horse trainer.
December 25: The $3 million Santa Anita Race Track opens outside Los Angeles.
1935
1936
June 11: Two-year-old Seabiscuit loses his seventeenth consecutive race. Though he is racing in poor
company, he has yet to win a single race.
June 29: Tom Smith and Seabiscuit meet at Suffolk Downs outside Boston, Massachusetts.
They look at each other and nod. Recognizing something special about the horse, Smith
leans over the rail and whispers to Seabiscuit, "I'll see you again."
August 3: Charles and Marcela Howard see Seabiscuit win a race at Saratoga. Tom Smith
looks the horse over and tells Howard to buy Seabiscuit.
August 16: Red Pollard, traveling around looking for work as a jockey, walks into the
Detroit Race Track, where he meets Tom Smith and Seabiscuit. Smith sees that Pollard and Seabiscuit
are compatible.
September 7: Seabiscuit achieves his first big win in the Governor's Handicap, winning over half his
purchase price. It is the fiftieth race of his career, and the first in which he displays a new-found
inclination for racing.
October: Baseball dominates the sports news. In his rookie season, Joe DiMaggio takes the New York
Yankees to the World Series. He hits a scorching .346 in his first World Series against the Giants and the
Yankees are again baseball champions, the first time since 1932.
October 24: Long-shot Seabiscuit wins the Scarsdale Handicap, a mid-level stakes race. The fierce
contest is won by mere inches, in a photo finish.
November: President Franklin Roosevelt receives a second overwhelming mandate at the polls, with
61% of the popular vote.
November 28: Seabiscuit wins the Bay Bridge Handicap by five lengths, clocking the fifth fastest mile
on record at the time.
December 12: Seabiscuit wins the World's Fair Handicap easily. He jogs down the stretch alone, to wild
cheers and Pollard's futile attempts to slow his speed.
December 18: Seabiscuit arrives at Santa Anita and is welcomed by a skeptical press corps.
Winter: A few bad breaks prevent Seabiscuit from racing and cultivate his laziness and love of food -setting him back in his conditioning for the Santa Anita Handicap, a race with an unheard-of $100,000
purse.
1937
February 27: In his first try at the Santa Anita Handicap, Seabiscuit loses to
Rosemont by a nose, in a photo finish.
March 6: Seabiscuit draws a crowd of 45,000 excited fans and wins the San Juan
Capistrano Handicap by seven lengths, smashing the track record.
May 6: The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames as it is about to land in Lakehurst, New
Jersey. A reporter on the scene describes the horrific event to a live radio audience.
May 22: Seabiscuit wins the Bay Meadows Handicap.
May 29: Seabiscuit heads to the East Coast, to prove himself in the home of racing's prestige.
June 5: War Admiral captures the Triple Crown after a win at the Belmont Stakes, despite stumbling at
the start and injuring his right foreleg.
June 26: Seabiscuit runs in the Brooklyn Handicap, beating rival Rosemont and local horse Aneroid.
Eastern writers who had previously called him "Glorified Plater" are now reluctantly quieted.
July: Seabiscuit wins the Butler Handicap and the Yonkers Handicap easily, despite carrying far more
weight than his competitors in both races.
September 11: At the Narragansett Special in Rhode Island, Seabiscuit finishes third due to muddy track
conditions, ending the winning streak of his Eastern assault.
October 12: Seabiscuit wins the Continental Handicap in New York, gaining the top spot in the 1937
winnings race with $152,780 earned, $8,000 ahead of War Admiral.
October 30: Seabiscuit and War Admiral are slated to meet on the track, but Seabiscuit is scratched from
the Washington Handicap due to muddy track conditions, allowing an easy victory for his rival.
November 3: Seabiscuit is again scratched when Smith pulls him out from Pimlico Special after a tenday downpour. War Admiral wins again.
November 5: War Admiral is scratched from the Riggs Handicap and Seabiscuit wins easily, breaking
the track record while carrying a startling 130 pounds. With the win, Seabiscuit now moves past War
Admiral in earnings by $9,000.
Mid-November: Seabiscuit begins the train journey back to California, stopping along the way to appear
for his adoring fans.
December 7: Following a near-collision with another horse and rider at Tanforan Race Track in
California, Pollard is suspended from racing at Tanforan for the remainder of 1937. In the wake of the
devastating suspension, War Admiral is named horse of the year by Turf and Sport Digest.
December 22: Pollard is suspended by the California Horse Racing Commission from riding on any
California track until January 1, 1938. Furious at the harsh judgment, Howard pulls Seabiscuit out of
races until Pollard's suspension is over.
January: Howard scratches Seabiscuit from the New Year's Handicap and the San
Pasqual Handicap after the horse is assigned a heavy impost of 132 pounds for both
races.
1938
February 1: California police uncover a plot to harm Seabiscuit by placing a
sponge up his nose to obstruct his breathing. The "sponging" accusation is frontpage news.
February 19: Smith scratches Seabiscuit from his fourth straight race, the San Carlos Handicap, because
of rain the night before. Pollard makes the fateful choice to ride Fair Knightess, and the horse falls,
crushing the left side of Pollard's chest.
March 5: In Seabiscuit's second appearance at the Santa Anita "hundred-grander," George Woolf rides
the bay colt as Pollard, recuperating from his fall, watches from the stands. Trapped at the start by Count
Atlas, Seabiscuit loses to Stagehand in a photo finish. Despite the loss, many consider Seabiscuit's
performance the greatest in racing history and attribute his loss only to the weight system and a foul by
another horse.
March 27: Seabiscuit makes a celebrity entrance in Tijuana for the Agua Caliente Handicap. Americans
flood the border and overwhelm Tijuana, hoping to watch the race. Seabiscuit wins easily.
April 13: Howard and War Admiral's owner, Samuel Riddle, agree on terms for a match race between
Seabiscuit and War Admiral. The race is set for May 30 at Belmont, War Admiral's home track. Howard
lures Riddle into the agreement with favorable conditions for War Admiral and a $100,000 purse.
April 16: Seabiscuit cruises to a new track record in the Bay Meadows Handicap despite carrying 133
pounds, the highest weight assigned to a horse in modern California racing.
May 4: Seabiscuit and War Admiral pose for a photo session as New York publicity reaches a frenzy.
May 20: Seabiscuit is slow during his workout, prompting rumors that something is wrong with him.
May 24: Howard scratches Seabiscuit from the match race at Belmont following his diminished
performance and possible injury.
May 28: War Admiral is slated to run at the Suburban Handicap but is scratched on the day of the race
for no apparent reason.
June 23: Pollard agrees to work a friend's colt, Modern Youth. The horse, spooked, leaves the track at
breakneck speed and crashes into a barn. Pollard's leg is crushed.
June 29: Smith scratches Seabiscuit from the Massachusetts
Handicap at the last minute upon discovering the horse has a leg
injury.
July 4: Seabiscuit places second in the Stars and Stripes Handicap,
leading spectators to believe that his best days are behind him. Following the race
Seabiscuit heads home to California.
July 16: Seabiscuit beats Specify and wins the Hollywood Gold Cup, breaking a track record and
reestablishing his prominence. George Woolf brings Seabiscuit from 14 lengths behind to win the race.
August 12: Seabiscuit beats Ligaroti, a horse co-owned by Bing Crosby and Howard's son Lin, in a
match race at Del Mar.
October 5: The rescheduled match between Seabiscuit and War Admiral is announced for November 1.
The horses will meet at Pimlico in Maryland.
October 30: Orson Welles' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, the tale of a Martian invasion on Earth,
creates panic among listeners who mistake it for news.
November 1: The long-anticipated match race is run. With 40 million listeners tuned in across the
country, Seabiscuit beats War Admiral by four lengths in just over a minute fifty-six for the mile and
three-sixteenths, a new Pimlico track record.
December 31: Gossip columnist Walter Winchell includes Seabiscuit with Franklin Roosevelt and Adolf
Hitler as one of the top ten newsmakers of the year.
1939
February 14: Seabiscuit injures his suspensory ligament in a prep race for Santa
Anita.
April: Red Pollard and his former nurse, Agnes Conlon, are married. Summer:
Pollard and Seabiscuit recover from their injuries together.
September 3: Britain and France declare war on Germany.
1940
January 30: Howard scratches Seabiscuit from the San Felipe Handicap because of mud.
February 9: Seabiscuit comes in third to Heelfly and Woolf in the La Jolla Handicap.
February 17: Seabiscuit finishes fourth in the San Carlos Handicap.
February 24: Seabiscuit wins the San Antonio Handicap, matching the track's record time.
March 2: Seabiscuit wins in his third try at the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap. He clocks the fastest
mile-and-a quarter in Santa Anita's history, the second fastest ever run in America. The
most people ever to attend an American horse race -- 75,000 -- watch as Pollard leads
Seabiscuit from behind to victory.
April 10: Seabiscuit retires to Charles Howard's Ridgewood Ranch.
November: Franklin Roosevelt is reelected president for a third term.
1942
December 2: Almost two years after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and the U.S. enters World War II,
University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi and colleagues produce the world's first controlled, selfsustaining nuclear reaction.
1943
Tom Smith begins a long convalescence following back surgery. He leaves Charles Howard's employ on
friendly terms and goes to work for Elizabeth Arden Graham, the cosmetics magnate and horse owner.
Citation becomes the first horse to win over $1 million.
May 1: Count Fleet wins the Kentucky Derby. Living with wartime restrictions on car use, racing fans
are discouraged from traveling to the race, which is called the "Streetcar Derby."
1944
In the midst of war, Franklin Roosevelt is reelected to a fourth term.
1945
April 12: President Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage, and Vice President Harry Truman enters the
Oval Office.
August 6: President Truman announces that an American bomber, the Enola Gay, has dropped the first
atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
August 14: V-J Day: the end of war with Japan. After World War II, American interest in horse racing
starts to increase.
1946
January 3: George Woolf dies in a racing accident at Santa Anita.
1947
May 17: Seabiscuit dies at age 14. He is buried in secret at Ridgewood.
November: Man o 'War, the greatest Thoroughbred of all time, dies at the age of 26. As he lies in state,
thousands come to mourn.
1950
Charles Howard dies.
1955
George Woolf is inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.
1957
Tom Smith dies.
1958
Seabiscuit is inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.
1964
Kelso is named Horse of the Year for the fifth straight year. He is the only horse in history to win the title
five times.
1968
Dr. Fager sets the world record for the mile at 1 minute 32 and 1/5 seconds.
Secretariat is the first Triple Crown winner in a quarter century. He secures the first
two races by modest margins, but wins the Belmont Stakes by an amazing 31
lengths.
1973
1977
Affirmed, a descendant of War Admiral, begins a rivalry with Alydar -- one of the greatest in the sport.
1978
Affirmed wins the Triple Crown.
1981
Red Pollard dies.
1984
The Breeders' Cup is run for the first time.
1987
Marcela Howard dies.
1996
Cigar, the all-time money winner, retires at the end of the season. His career earnings total nearly $10
million.
2001
Seabiscuit's trainer Tom Smith is inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.