For my animal research task I was given the Horse. Reading through facts about horses I felt uninspired and lost, therefore I came to the conclusion to focus on a specific horse such as war horse, horse racing, working horses etc.... I decided to focus solely on racehorses because there is an abundance of information on the subject seen as it has been a popular sport over a century, I then narrowed down my search further to Seabiscuit because of what the horse symbolised during the Great Depression.
- In 1938, at the peak of his career, Seabiscuit was the biggest newspaper story in the United States, receiving more column inches than anyone else. President Roosevelt ranked second, and Adolf Hitler was third.
- Seabiscuit was one of the most remarkable Thoroughbred racehorses in history. From 1936 to 1940, Americans thronged to racetracks to watch the small, ungainly racehorse become a champion. He had an awkward gait but ran with dominating speed; he was mild-mannered yet fiercely competitive; and he was stubborn until he became compliant. His inferior performances as a young racehorse led to later dominance on the turf.
- Although the stallion was descended from the legendary Man o’ War through his handsome son Hard Tack, Seabiscuit seemed to have little in common with his regal forebears. His body was thick, his legs were stubby, and his tail was stunted. His left foreleg jabbed out wildly when he ran; some called the motion an “eggbeater gait.”
- As a three-year-old, the horse had run in 43 races, more than many Thoroughbreds complete in an entire career. To get him to achieve the speed they suspected he had, riders whipped him liberally.
- In 1936 his owners sold the horse to the automobile entrepreneur Charles S. Howard for $8000 at Saratoga in August.
- jockey Johnny "Red" Pollard, at 5'7", Pollard was too tall to be a jockey. He was also blind in one eye, something he tried to keep a secret. Without bifocal vision, he lacked depth perception and couldn't tell how far ahead of him horses were.
- His stumpy legs that wouldn't completely straighten, Seabiscuit wasn't considered a great prospect. Some said he wasn't worth the hay in a first-class barn.
- On November 1, 1938, Seabiscuit met War Admiral and jockey Charles Kurtsinger in what was dubbed the "Match of the Century." The event was run over 1 and 3/16 miles (1.91 km), at the Pimlico Race Course, from the grandstands to the infield, was jammed solid with fans. Trains were run from all over the country to bring fans to the race, and the estimated 40,000 at the track were joined by some 40 million listening on the radio. War Admiral was the favorite (1–4 with most bookmakers) and a nearly unanimous selection of the writers and tipsters, excluding the California faithful.
- Seabiscuit retired. He earned U.S. $437,730 between 1935 and 1940. He died of a heart attack on May 17, 1947.