Culture Watch
Seabiscuit
By Laura Hillenbrand
Ballantine Books (paperback)
This is a terrific book for all who love horses and racing, but it's also every bit as entertaining and rewarding a read for those who have absolutely no interest in the animals or the sport. From the get-go, a reader is amused, involved, and dazzled by the author's extensive research and brilliant re-construction of the story of Seabiscuit and the people around him.
In the late '30's and early '40's, Seabiscuit's popularity was a phenomenon rivaling that of any rock star today. A small horse with crooked front legs and a strange gait, Seabiscuit was no beauty, but his blazing speed, determination and courage brought him the kind of fame that kept him on the front pages of the nation's newspapers.
He was also, according to author Hillenbrand, possessed of an equine intelligence and sheer orneriness so complex that it took very special people to handle, train and ride him. His early racing years were anything but successful, and it wasn't until he was bought by a San Francisco automobile magnate named Charles Howard that his career took an up-turn. Howard seems to have been an early public relations genius. That he had an extremely photogenic wife, along with several million dollars to spend on wooing the press, didn't hurt, either.
Seabiscuit's trainer, on the other hand, was the bane of the newspapermen. Tom Smith was a former mustang-breaker from the hardscrabble days of western cowboys, a man who rarely spoke to people and seemed far more comfortable communicating with his horses. He also had a genius for keeping Seabiscuit's training regimen a secret from the prying eyes of enthusiastic reporters.
Red Pollard, the jockey who best rode Seabiscuit, was a former prizefighter who was blind in one eye, and had been injured at the track so many times that he was often unable to ride. There was only one other jockey whom Seabiscuit would tolerate and obey, and even then, that jockey had to follow the advice of the injured Smith in order to win. Except for these two jockeys, Seabiscuit out-ran and out-smarted both horse and man for many years.
Hillenbrand's description of the conditions under which jockeys lived in those days is horrifying. Extreme diets and sweat baths to "make (lower) weight," and the lack of any kind of health coverage resulted in many deaths and permanent disabilities. The devil-may-care lifestyle also took a toll. It is amazing that so many jockeys from the early days survived long enough to be interviewed by Hillenbrand.
Seabiscuit is a story that is almost perfectly told. The research is impeccable; the writing is brilliant. Hillenbrand reels you in from the very first page, and when you reach the last page, you're sad that the book has ended. You are also much more knowledgeable about the business of horse racing, and this reviewer has, for the first time, begun to understand some of its complexity and appeal.
The author has been writing about Thoroughbred racing for at least 15 years, and is a contributing writer/editor for Equus magazine. She has twice received the Eclipse Award, the highest journalistic honor in her field.
Seabiscuit is being made into a movie by Universal Studios, scheduled for release this summer, and also a PBS documentary. But don't wait for the visuals; read this book.
—JS
Flesh and Blood by Jonathan Kellerman; CDs and a photography book for book lovers
