I read from this book pages 265-275, chapter 19, called The Second Civil War. This summarizes the most famous match race of all time, Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral.
"People who never saw a horse race in their entire lives are taking sides. If the issue were deferred another week, there would be a Civil War between the War Admiral Americans and the Seabiscuit Americans," (Hillenbrand 259). On November 1, 1938 at Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland, one of the most suspenseful races in history was held between the two most famous racehorses of their time. Seabiscuit was the underdog, a little horse that arose out of nothing. War Admiral was the perfect racehorse, huge, and fast, a Triple Crown winner. A match race was finally scheduled to see which of the horses was faster. The race was to be 1 3/16 miles, a race to test stamina as well as speed. The race was scheduled for four in the afternoon, and by ten in the morning fans were about to burst through the doors at the track. Thousands filled the grandstands and clubhouse, and even more were redirected to the infield of the track. People stood on roofs,climbed fences and cars a mile out from the track, hoping to catch a glimpse of the race.
Seabiscuits regular jockey had been injured in a riding accident and could not ride his horse in this race, so Smith and Howard substitued Red Pollard with George Woolf, one of the most famous jockeys of all time. Woolf had ridden Seabiscuit in a few races prior to the match race, and had had lots of training time, but he didn't know the horse like Pollard did, whereas War Admiral had his consistent jockey Charley Kurtsinger.
The horses took off from the line at the exact instant, flying off the line at breakneck speed. Seabiscuit took the lead early and the horses settled in to see which horse would break. Prior to the race many had come to the conclusion that this was not going to be a win by a nose, one of the horses would break and fall behind in the homestretch as the other kept pushing. Kurtsinger stuck War Admiral right on Seabiscuit's tail, waiting for the little horse to lose steam. On the backstretch, Kurtsinger gave the huge horse his head and sailed up to attempt to get a lead on Seabiscuit, but the little horse wouldn't give in, pushing his nose up farther and farther, not letting War Admiral take the lead just yet. The horses were hurtling down the track, their strides matched, each 21 feet in length. But they continued to accelerate. As they approached the homestretch, Woolf glanced at War Admiral, and saw the horse's eye roll as if he were in agony. Then his tongue shot out the side of his mouth. Woolf knew it was over. "'So long, Charley,'" Woolf coined a catch phrase that jockeys would use for decades," (Hillenbrand 273). Seabiscuit surged forward, winning the race by four lengths and running easy.
The crowd was going wild, pouring onto the track behind Seabiscuit, screaming and clapping as the little horse came back to greet them. The most famous match race of all time, one that would be remembered by all who lived in America at the time, and a story that would go down in racing history never to be forgotten, was won by Seabiscuit, the underdog that was giving hope to America in the heart of the Great Depression, letting people know that even those who had a rough start could come out of their holes and become one of the most famous figures in America of their time.
This is one of my favorite chapters in this book simply because of the obvious suspense that many felt as they watched the race take place. The entire country was absorbed in this race, whether or not they were racing fans themselves. I find it interesting how many looked to Seabiscuit as a figure of hope in this time period, watching as he rose to become one of the most famous racehorses in history. And considering where he started, he couldn't even win a claiming race, the lowest form of racing. Smith knew this horse simply needed someone to care about him, and show him what it was like to be a horse again, and then this little horse could sweep across the nation, winning races left and right.
I'm really enjoying this blog so far, horse racing is something close to my heart since my grandfather himself was a trainer, and so learning new things about it has always been fun for me. I love reading about the horses and the people they touched, especially a horse like Seabiscuit, that enriched the whole nation with his incredible tale.