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“In 1938... the year's #1 newsmaker was not FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. Nor was it Lou Gehrig or Clark Gable. The subject of the most newspaper column inches in 1938 wasn't even a person. It was an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse named ���𲹲��������ܾ���.��

America loves an underdog. Such is the case of Seabiscuit. Yes, he was an amazing athlete. But, more than anything else, he became a favorite because pound-for-pound Seabuscuit may have been the greatest racehorse ever. He was only 15 hands tall, just slightly taller than a pony. Standing next to other great thoroughbreds, Seabiscuit looked like the runt of the litter. Yet he would go on to shatter track records.

Seabiscuit was generally unruly and at one point the owner couldn't find anyone to take the horse off his hands as a gift. He appeared to be both slow and dangerous, hardly the traits one looks for in a racehorse. But Seabiscuit just needed the right trainer and the right jockey. Tom Smith and Red Pollard knew how to understand Seabiscuit, and life-long bonds were established.

Maybe the biggest race ever, and certainly the biggest sporting event for that time, happened in 1938 when two great rivals, Seabiscuit and War Admiral, met at Pimlico for a "match race" between these champions. Over 40 million people, including FDR, tuned in their radio to listen to the race. This event pitted David against Goliath, and the odds were stacked against the smaller horse. It was also a story of East vs West; at that time, everyone thought the "real" races occurred in the east. Seabiscuit raced on the upstart racetracks at Santa Anita (Pasadena) and Del Mar (San Diego). It was a story of old money vs. new money. Seabiscuit would go on to set the track record that day by beating War Admiral, direct descendent of the famed Man o' War, by an incredible four links.

I was surprised how interesting this book turned out to be. Not one to watch horseraces, although I've been known to show up at a party or two to watch the Kentucky Derby, I was taken in by the described "personalities" of these great animals. I learned there actually has to be a marriage of sorts between horse and rider - not just anyone can jump on a fast horse and expect to win. The horse must want to run for the rider, and the rider must encourage the competitive spirits of the horse. Fascinating.