Imperial Valley press., 1940-03-05
Nv JACK GUENTHER

ARCADIA. Cal, March 5. (UP)
The life of the champion actual
ly began at four.
Seabiscuit ran for two years un-
der the banner of the Wheatley
stable in Florida, Maryland, New
York, Massachusetts and Rhode Is
land and he ran at many tracks.
But while he ran AZ races he won
only nine of his starts, SO he was
sold to C. S. Howard with no re-
gretS. He was simply cast oil be-
cause his owners didn't believe he
was good enough to earn his way
in a first class barn.
There was no one to see the Bis
cult off when the man known as
Silent Tom Smith led him through
the tree lined walks OF Saratoga
and placed him on freight car
for the first time, but there was
something symbolic about the de-
parture. For on that day the Bis
cult began his climb, and on dozens
of occasions in the years to come
Smith led him on dozens of cars
and sent him thousands of miles
along the long. winding road that
finally carried him to the top OF
them all.
Wins First First
They shipped first to Detroit and
Seabiscuit was given to Johnny
Pollard, a thin. nervous jockey with
flaming red hair. Seabiscuit and
Pollard carried the ruStling red and
white Howard silks on a track the
first time on August % and they
finished fourth behind some things
named MyrtleWood, Prof. Paul and
Cristrate. A week later they came
in third and finally, on Sept 26,
1886. the Bscuit won his first stake
race-by a nose. The parade was on
and it wasn't to end until the name
of Seabiscuit became as familiar as
that of Jack Dempsey.
From Detroit they went to River
Downs, then back to New York.
Finally they began the trip west
and in his first race at Bay Mead
oWS, SeabiScuit proved himself one
hundred per cent horse. He was
left flat at the post, but the little
grandson II Man OWar and WhiSk
Broom didn't let his ancestors down.
He came up from eighth to second
and then he went to the front. The
margin was five lengths breezlng
at the end, and the time was 1886
flat-one of the best mile marks
of the year.
Up and up he Went, against bet
ter and better horses. When he
passed his fourth birthday on Jan.
|, 1887, he had won five of IL races
under Pollard's gnarled hands and
when he was unloaded at Santa
Anita park for the first time he
was on his way 70 fame. He won,
then he lost, but on Feb. 27 he went
against Rosemont in the 100000
Santa Anita Handicap. In this
richest race in the world, the Bis
cults reputation was made.
He rolled that sunny February
day and when the sWipes gather
around the barns in the gloom of
evening they'll tell you even now
that if Red Pollard had stuck
rear view mirror on the Biscuits
ear Rosemont would never have
caught him on that final lunge to
the wire. But catch him he did
in the very last stride. The Biscuit
missed $4,000 by the margin of
postage stamp, and gained the name
of the Hard Luck Kid
Sun Beau Mark
SeabiScuit became i've years old
on Jan. /, 1888, and he finished the
year acclaimed as handicap king.
He had won IL of Is starts against
the best thoroughbreds of the year
and he had earned $168,580 for the
season. This gave him life mark
of more than $210,000 and he skip
ped up past Crusader, Discovery,
WlchOne, jamestown, Colin, Nor
vich, Rosemont, Omaha, Pompey
and other greats on the money lad
der. So it was on his fifth birth
day that racing men. began talking
of the Sun Beau mark.
They have talked of little else
since.
tTomorroW-another nose defeat
in the 100000 Santa Anita, but a