They called it
the car for Everyman.
Henry Ford himself
called it a car
for the "great multitude."
lt was functional and simple,
like your sewing machine
or your cast-iron stove.
You could learn to drive it
in less than a day,
and you could get
any color you wanted,
so long as it was black.
When Ford first conceived
the Model T, it took
Within five years,
he was turning out
a vehicle every 90 seconds.
Of course, the real invention
wasn't the car,
it was the assembly line
that built it.
Pretty soon, other businesses
had borrowed
the same techniques.
Seamstresses
became button sewers.
Furniture makers
became knob turners.
lt was the beginning
and the end of imagination
all at the same time.
Howard.
Charles, l'm talking to you.
They need spokes,
same as the others.
l know. They ought to
make a better spoke.
Yeah?
Then what would you do?
lt was a land
of opportunity.
The country was shrinking,
and there was life
to be made out west
for any man
with drive and ambition.
lf your dream was big enough
and you had the guts
to follow it,
there was truly
a fortune to be made.
Good day, sir.
Damn thing blew on me.
What?
lt's a Stanley Steamer.
The boiler blew.
Oh?
Can you fix it?
Sure. Sure, l can fix it.
This is
an amazing machine.
lt's got a two-stroke
boiler system that's heated
by this huge fire grade.
l mean, it's...
Well, it's basically
a very small locomotive.
Thank you.
Now, l made
some improvements.
lt wasn't your boiler
that was blowing,
it was your bleed valve.
So, with
the increased pressure,
l can see you getting
up to 40 miles an hour.
Really?
Oh, yeah.
And if you superheat
the excess,
l can see you reaching...
Fifty, maybe sixty miles
an hour.
ls that right?
Easily. And the thing
of it is, Mr. Coughlin,
you don't feed it,
you don't stable it,
and unless
you hit a lamppost,
the thing's not gonna
get sick and die on you.
That's funny.
To tell you the truth,
l wouldn't spend more than $5
on the best horse in America.
This is not
the finish line, my friends.
This is the start of the race.
The future is the finish line!
And the new Buick White Streak
is just the car
to take us there!
Yeah.
Four in-line cylinders,
Wonderful.
And this is the very same car
that you can buy
at any one
of our five showrooms
all across the Bay Area.
"The age of the automobile
is here," boasted Howard.
"The future has arrived."
Oh, my.
Read the part about
the future again.
l'm kind of dealing
with it right now.
Oh, sorry.
Here. l'll take him.
Come here, big guy.
Come here. Come here.
Are you the future, huh?
Are you the future?
Are you gonna...
Are you going to the moon?
The moon!
l'll take it.
Do we really need
all this?
Well, no. We don't need it...
There's also a caretaker's
house, a paddock, a barn,
some very nice stables.
How big are the stables?
Got it.
Settle down. Settle down.
Quit. Quit. Whoa. Whoa.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Come on, Dad.
Whoa.
There you go.
You're not
getting him a horse.
Why not? He's great at it.
Because he's 16 years old.
So?
So, he should earn it.
All right.
Tennyson!
Emerson!
Longfellow!
Everybody knows Tennyson.
All right. Quiet.
Nobody knows
Longfellow.
Yes, they do.
Dickinson.
"We never know
how high we are..."
Oh, l know that.
Yeah. l know.
l know it.
Well?
"We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise"
Good.
Very good, John.
"And then,
if we are true to plan
Our statures touch the skies"
Excellent.
Yes!
That's really good.
Uh-oh.
"The heroism..."
Right.
Right. "The heroism..."
"The heroism we recite
"Would be a daily thing"
That's it.
"Did not ourselves
the cubits warp
"For fear to be a king"
You should be riding it.
You knew the poem.
Yeah.
But he looks so perfect
out there, doesn't he?
Yeah. He does.
That's the poetry
right there, Agnes.
That's the poetry.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
l came here 15 years ago
with 21 cents in my pocket.
l know a lot of us
at the table
have a story like that.
And, you know,
l can't help thinking
that if we can start out there
and end up here,
where can't we go in America?
So, as corny as it sounds,
l'd like to propose
a toast to the future.
Because out here, my friends,
the sky is literally
the limit.
To the future!
To the future!
To the future!
There were no suicides
on Wall Street that day.
lt was a myth
that would grow over time.
The real effect of
October 29th took
a little longer to sink in.
By noon, all the gains
of the previous year
had been obliterated.
By 4:00 p.m.,
nearly $10 billion
of market value was gone.
Over the next two weeks,
the hemorrhage continued.
And before long,
was unemployed.
A great national
migration began.
Displaced families
took to the American highway
in the last possession
that remained to them,
their automobile.
And all at once,
millions of Americans
had a new definition of home.
l made $2 today.
What?
l made $2.
Here.
Where did you get these?
Yeah, your boy
combed them out,
changed all the tack.
l didn't have to
tell him a thing.
Hey, Red.
Attaboy!
Where'd a young fellow
like you learn so much
about horses?
His name's Johnny.
You can call me Red.
Yeah!
Yeah!
What's wrong?
What's wrong?
What's that?
Everything.
Dickens, Wordsworth.
There's your Arabian Nights
and Moby Dick, even your
Milne, from when you were...
Why? What's wrong?
Mr. Blodget here,
he has a house...
Dad.
...a real house.
Dad, what's wrong?
And his wife cooks.
She is a good cook.
No. No. Dad.
There's even a phone
next door.
We'll call you.
Every couple of weeks,
we'll call you,
and we'll tell you
where we are.
No. We're just gonna
go home, all right?
Let's go.
Listen to me.
You have a gift.
You have a gift.
Don't... Don't do this.
Dad, don't do this.
We'll be back.
Go on. Go with Mr. Blodget.
No.
He's gonna take care
of you, sweetie.
Mom, don't... Don't do this.
lt's okay. Go with him.
l don't know. You still look
pretty tall to be a jockey.
l've never been over 115.
Where'd you learn
to ride like that?
Home.
All right.
Here's the way it works.
l pay you $10 a week to ride.
You owe $9 for your meals,
$6 to sleep in the stalls,
$3 tack fee.
That's the deal.
How do l pay all that back?
You win.
You son of a bitch!
Get off of me!
Get off!
Get off of me!
Get off of me!
Get off of me!
A nose?
You lose a race a nose,
you'd better
fall off trying! Here!
Muck these stalls down,
every damn one of them!
A nose! For Christ's sake!
No. No, Bill.
l'm not gonna do it.
No more layoffs.
Well, it can't get any worse.
Look, if it stays
like this, we'll just...
Bill, we'll be fine,
really. We will.
All right.
l'll see you in town.
Frankie, come on.
lt's a glorious day outside.
Why don't...
Why don't you go fishing
or something?
l'm reading.
You can read
when it's raining.
Come on. l'll teach you
to drive the truck.
You already taught me
to drive the truck.
Well, what are you reading?
Flash Gordon.
Come on, Dad.
lt's about the future!
We'll be in San Francisco
till Wednesday.
Yeah?
What?
No!
Come inside.
l'm not done.
Sam can do that.
l don't want Sam to do it.
l want to do it.
Annie.
Don't... Don't... No!
Ma'am.
Come on, Red! Come on!
Come on, kid.
At a time
when the world
really needed a drink,
you couldn't get one
in the United States
of America.
Liquor was illegal.
Diversions were scarce,
and there's just so much
a human being can do without.
Soon, the border town
was born,
providing everything to
the south that their neighbor
to the north would not.
You could find anything:
food, companionship,
decent gin,
and with gambling
outlawed as well,
the chance to turn
bad luck into good.
Relax! You got it!
You got it! You got it!
Go!
Damn it.
That jockey was riding
like he's got an anvil
in his pocket.
l no bet with you no more.
l no like it.
Who's that?
George Woolf.
Greatest jockey in the world.
That's Charles Howard?
Yeah.
l thought he came
down here for a...
Quickie divorce?
Why?
Look at him.
Nothing quick about that.
lt was in the palace
of the great Sultan.
Sultan of where?
The Sultan of Araby.
l'd been living there
for almost a year,
racing his Arabians
across the desert by day
and finishing
my personal history
of the region by night.
Then one day,
the Sultan summons me
into his throne room.
He looks at me and says,
"John Pollard..."
"John Pollard,
"you are my greatest jockey.
lt is you l have chosen
"to ride my 100-mile race
from Kusma to Tripoli."
All right. 200-mile.
Excuse me, sahib.
You didn't need
to wreck it, Georgie.
When you
started telling that story,
it was only 50 miles.
Yeah, well,
everything gets longer
in the retelling.
Just ask your friend
Wanda over there.
You know, if you start
riding a little more
and talking a little less,
you might start
winning some races.
Well, l got two bucks
says l beat you in this one.
l'm not sure if you do,
but l got five
says l beat you.
Done.
Give me odds.
You're the favorite.
Even money.
Nah! Forget it! 2-to-1 !
All right. You got it.
Hey, Johnny. You're on
a speed horse. What are you
doing back here with me?
l like the conversation,
and it's not a speed horse.
Don't try to hook me.
You going tonight?
Nah. You?
Nah.
What time?
l don't know. 8:00?
Okey-doke.
Oops, there's my hole!
Gotta go!
God damn it!
Whoa!
We got him!
All right.
l'll take him.
Get the hell
out of here.
l said, l'll take him.
He's got a fractured foot.
lf you're gonna
shoot him anyway,
l'll save you the bullet.
Whoa.
Fine.
Let him go. Hey.
Let him have him.
Now, bud.
Hey, boy.
Okey-doke, Johnny.
There's my hole! Gotta fly!
Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah! Yeah!
"There once
was a princess from Siam
"Who was sitting here
sort of like l am
"l wined her and dined her
"And then l reclined her..."
Shit.
What rhymes with Siam?
That's great.
You make that up?
Pretty obvious, huh?
That's beautiful.
No. You're beautiful.
Don't say that. You pay me.
So, you wanna, you know,
get going?
Sure. Why not?
How do you miss
a hole like that?
There's my hole! Gotta fly!
Are you blind?
Angel, are you okay?
You don't wanna watch?
No. Not really.
l don't either.
So, what? They brought you
down here to make you
feel better, is that it?
Yes. Sort of.
Those guys, they think
everything is fixed
with a party.
l'm sorry. Who are you?
Marcela Zabala.
My sister, lsabella,
she's married...
No. No, no. l know.
Nice to meet you. Charles.
So, do you feel better?
No.
No, not really.
No.
How could you?
Something like that.
Come on, buddy.
Wake up.
Come on.
Did l lose?
Oh, no. You clobbered him.
Easy.
Easy, easy.
Nice and slow.
l'm fine. l'm fine.
Come on. Let me buy you
some turtle soup.
l'm fine, George.
Go win yourself
a race or something.
Look, let's go down
to Sloan's, and we'll just...
l'm fine, George. l don't need
your help, and l sure as shit
don't need your charity.
Leave me alone, all right?
lt's been 20 years
since l've been on a horse.
Don't worry.
lt's the kind of thing
that comes right back.
Let's go.
Come on!
What? She got you
back up on a horse,
and now you wanna buy them?
Yeah. Maybe.
Maybe a couple.
Well, you wanna win
or just own them?
l wanna win.
What sort of question
is that?
Well, you're gonna
need a trainer
before you buy horses.
No. You need two.
So you can fire one.
Randy Thatcher's barn.
Trains about 50
or 60 ponies.
Good fellow, too.
Real horse person.
A real horse-shitter.
You don't know. l don't know,
maybe you want a smaller barn,
somebody who can
take the time to...
Who's that?
He's a crackpot.
Lives alone in the bushes.
What's he do?
l don't know. He used to be
a trainer, farrier. Now he
just looks after that horse.
Come on. Let's look
at another barn.
Howdy.
Hello.
You hungry?
No. No, thanks.
l'm fine. Charles Howard.
Tom Smith.
Nice to meet you, Tom.
What's...
What's in his bandage?
Oh, that's hawthorn root.
lt increases circulation.
You wanna sit down?
All right. Thank you.
Will he get better?
Already is, a little.
Will he race?
No. Not that one.
So why are you
fixing him?
'Cause l can.
Every horse is good
for something.
He could be a cart horse
or a lead pony.
And he's still nice
to look at.
You don't...
You don't throw
a whole life away
just 'cause
he's banged up a little.
ls that coffee?
Yeah.
lt's bad, though.
You always tell the truth?
Yeah, l try to.
lt ain't just the speed.
lt's the heart.
And you want something
that's not afraid to compete.
Half these horses
are just show ponies.
You want something
that's not gonna run
from a fight.
How do you find that?
Look, l won the Robles
Handicap. l was second
in the Tijuana Derby.
l won the Manzanita Oaks.
You know, that used
to be a stakes race.
l know.
l would've won, T.J.,
but the piece of shit
lugged out on me.
Sounds great.
We'll let you know.
Look. l can work them out
in the morning.
Or even hot-walk them
if you need me to.
Really? You'll hot-walk them?
This is something else.
A dream come true,
walking you around.
Hook you up to a plow,
pull me around
for a little while. Come on.
You ever run in the money?
Hey. Hey.
You ever run in the money?
l don't think so.
Couldn't beat a human being,
let alone another horse.
You goddamn sack-of-crap
old plater. Probably the
fastest you're gonna run
in your entire life,
you piece-of-shit
old glue-pot.
That's right.
The first time
he saw Seabiscuit,
the colt was walking
through the fog
at 5:00 in the morning.
Smith would say later
that the horse looked
right through him,
as if to say,
"What the hell
are you looking at?
"Who do you think you are?"
He was a small horse,
barely 15 hands.
He was hurting, too.
There was a limp in his walk,
a wheezing when he breathed.
Smith didn't pay
attention to that.
He was looking the horse
in the eye.
God damn.
He was the son of Hard Tack,
sired by the mighty
Man o' War.
But the breeding
did little to impress
anyone at Claiborne Farms.
Get rid of him.
At six months,
he was shipped off to train
with the legendary trainer
"Sunny" Fitzsimmons,
who, over time,
developed a similar opinion
of the colt.
ls that a racehorse
or a lead pony?
The judgment wasn't helped
by his gentle nature.
Where his sire
had been a fierce,
almost violent competitor,
Seabiscuit took to sleeping
for huge chunks of the day
and enjoyed lolling for hours
under the boughs
of the juniper trees.
His other great talent
was eating.
Though half the size
of other colts,
Seabiscuit could frequently
eat twice as much.
Fitzsimmons decided
the horse was lazy
and felt sure he could train
the obstinance out of him.
l want you to hit him
as many times as you can
over a quarter of a mile.
When he didn't improve,
they decided
the colt was incorrigible.
They made him
a training partner
to better horses,
forcing him to lose
head-to-head duels
to boost the confidence
of the other animal.
By the time
he was three years old,
Seabiscuit was struggling
in two cheap claiming
races a week.
Soon he grew as bitter
and angry as his sire
Hard Tack had been.
He was sold
for the rock-bottom price
of $2,000.
And, of course,
it all made sense.
Champions were large,
they were sleek,
they were
without imperfection.
When they finally did
race him, he did just what
they had trained him to do.
He lost.
What exactly is it
you like?
He's got spirit.
l'll say.
Can...
Can he be ridden?
Oh, sure.
Eventually.
He can be a little touchy.
Yeah, l got it.
No. Really.
l'm fine.
Jesus Christ!
That horse is nuts!
Come on!
Come on! Come on!
Let's go! Come on,
you sons of bitches!
Let's go! Come on!
Let's go! Come on,
you sons of bitches!
l'll take all of you!
Come on! Come on!
lt's okay.
l'm not afraid of you.
Sure. l know.
l know what you're all about.
You hungry?
Huh?
Yeah. Bet you are.
Come on. Come on, boy.
Yeah.
Why don't you just
breeze him around
one turn.
Give the folks a look.
Great.
Red Pollard,
Mr. and Mrs. Howard.
Yeah. Hi.
Hello.
Well, we'll just be
moving on.
Does he breeze?
Well, we'll find out.
Seems pretty fast.
Yeah. ln every direction.
Hell, he's so beat-up,
it's hard to tell
what he's like.
l just can't help
feeling they got him
so screwed up
running in a circle,
he's forgotten
what he was born to do.
He just needs to learn
how to be a horse again.
Well, how do you do that?
How far do you want
me to take him?
Till he stops.
Okay.
That seems like
a pretty good ride.
Hope so.
That's it, boy.
You're all right.
Let's see what you got, boy.
Ha! Ha!
That's it, boy. That's it!
Yeah!
Well, at least
he wasn't expensive.
No. That's true.
God damn it!
You're an amazing animal!
You can come inside,
you know.
l'm fine. Thank you.
Yeah, you look it.
No, really, l'm fine.
Okay. Suit yourself.
Welcome.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
lt's okay.
Oh, l'm not that hungry.
Sure you're not.
lt's just a lot of food.
lt's okay.
We rather have you
strong than thin.
They called it "relief,"
but it was
a lot more than that.
lt had dozens of names:
NRA, WPA,
the CCC.
But it really came down
to just one thing.
For the first time
in a long time,
someone cared.
For the first time
in a long time,
you were no longer alone.
Goat racing?
Oh, no. Just trying to
calm him down a little.
Smart ones hate
being alone all the time.
Oh.
And sometimes another animal,
it just soothes them a bit.
Pretty quiet in there.
What'd you do?
Go take a look.
Okay. You don't break him
or anything, but we gotta see
what he's got.
You take him to
the five and a half pole
and turn him loose.
Turn him loose?
Yeah, son.
He's a racehorse.
Ha! Ha!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on! l know
you got more than this.
Let's show them, boy!
How's he look?
Asleep.
Come on! Let's show them,
Pops! Come on!
There it is! Yeah!
Oh, my goodness.
Yeah, you and me! Let's go!
Boy. Fast?
Oh, yeah.
How fast?
Your horse just broke
the track record at Tanforan.
Yep. Sometimes
they just hanker
for a little competition.
As long as we're talking
long shots, l got a real
doozy for you, folks.
Today we got a horse
that's going off at 70-to-1 ,
and that's a short price,
my friends.
This horse couldn't win
a church raffle, let alone
a $2,000 allowance.
Yeah, talk about a jump
in class. This is the skunk
at the garden party.
Yes, he's the surprise
in the punch bowl.
As a matter of fact,
l'll lay even money
that this nag, Seabiscuit,
couldn't even finish
six furlongs.
This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin
live at Clockers' Corner.
Wow.
l wanted maroon.
They only had bright red.
Oh, it looks great.
You don't think
the "H" is too big?
You seen the size
of our jockey?
Come on.
Okay. The favorite's
that gray over there.
He's got a big late charge,
so lock in early with him
and stay right off his flank.
Okay.
And once our boy sees
who the competition is,
he'll do most of the work.
But don't move
till that gray does.
What if it's late?
Let's go.
Twelve minutes to post.
l don't think
it's gonna matter much.
Honestly.
Horses come out on the track
for the sixth race.
$20,000...
Come on in.
Number 3,
Pollard on Seabiscuit.
Followed by...
Hey, sahib.
Kind of small, isn't he?
Gonna look a lot smaller
in a second, Georgie.
l got five bucks
says he doesn't.
Starter's poised.
The flag is up.
And away they go.
Pirate's Gold breaks first,
followed by Geronimo
on the outside.
Silver Treasure is third,
followed by Seabiscuit.
They're coming
by the five-furlong pole.
lt's Pirate's Gold, Geronimo,
Hill's Army and Agua Dulce.
Son of a bitch!
Ha! Ha!
Piece of shit bastard!
What the hell is he doing?
...opening up
a three and a half...
A four-length lead.
Let's go!
What are you doing?
l'm gonna
put you on the rail,
you piece of shit!
Get off of me!
How do you like that,
you son of a bitch?
You're gonna drop me, man!
The two horses
are flying down...
You like the rail?
...as they come
into the homestretch.
Here comes the cavalry charge!
Knock me
off my horse!
lt's Silver Treasure
on the inside
followed by Pirate's Gold.
Again they go, Pirate's Gold.
Silver Treasure on the inside.
Silver Treasure
and Pirate's Gold.
But at the wire it's
Silver Treasure, the winner
by two and a half lengths.
Damn it.
What the hell
were you thinking?
He fouled me.
What am l supposed to do,
let him get away with that?
Well, yeah,
when he's 40-to-1 .
He almost put me in the rail!
Well, did he?
Look, we had a plan.
He fouled me, Tom!
What am l supposed to do?
He cut me off!
He fouled me!
Son? Son.
What are you so mad at?
There's even
a phone next door.
Dad.
We'll call you.
Every couple of weeks,
we'll call you,
and we'll tell you
where we are.
No. We're just gonna
go home, all right?
You have a gift.
You have a gift.
l need to borrow some money.
All right.
l haven't been
to a dentist, and...
Well, l need to
borrow some money.
That's fine.
l don't know
when l can pay you back.
l mean, when we win.
When we win,
l can pay you back.
That is, if you
still want me to ride.
Of course l want you to ride.
How much do you need?
Ten dollars.
Here.
lt's fine.
Thank you.
l really appreciate it.
That's it, Pops.
We're okay now.
lt's all right, boy.
Yeah, we're okay.
Nothing to worry about.
All the time in the world,
boy. That's it, Pops.
Nice and easy.
Just like that, boy.
Just like that.
What do you think, boy?
You ready to go?
You and me.
Let's go, boy. Let's go.
Ha! Ha!
ln the end,
it wasn't the dams
or the roads
or the bridges or the parks.
Or the tunnels
or the thousands of
other public projects
that were built
in those years.
lt was more invisible
than that.
Men who were broken
only a year before
suddenly felt restored.
Men who'd been shattered
suddenly found their voice.
Well, l just think this horse
has a lot of heart.
He may have been down,
but he wasn't out.
He may have lost a few,
but he didn't
let it get to him.
l think we could all learn
a lick or two
from this little guy.
Oh, and by the way,
he doesn't know he's little.
He thinks he's the
biggest horse out there.
So you got big plans
for this little horse?
Oh, yeah. See, sometimes
when the little guy,
he doesn't know
he's a little guy,
he can do great big things.
Can we get a shot here?
See, this isn't
the finish line.
The future is the finish line,
and the Biscuit
is just the horse
to get us there.
"Just
the horse to get us there."
You certainly made a believer
out of me, Mr. Howard.
lt's time for this old tout
to eat some crow.
Four and 20 blackbirds,
to be exact, all baked up
in some humble pie,
and l'll take mine a la mode.
Oh. And one more thing,
Mr. Howard.
l just wanna say...
Thanks for the champagne.
Don't mention it.
Did you see the infield?
No, not yet.
Take a look. Your little horse
is selling out
the cheap seats.
Oh, my gosh.
Hey, what do you think
about all those folks
in the infield, Red?
That's who we're riding for,
folks with a quarter
in their pocket.
Red! Red! Red!
Red!
That's an awful lot of hoopla
for such a little horse!
"Though he be but little,
he is fierce."
What's that? What?
That's Shakespeare, boys.
That's Shakespeare.
Oh, Shakespeare.
Holy cow.
Look at that, Biscuit.
Look at that.
There you go. Oh, my God.
There he is!
Seabiscuit! Yeah!
That's for you, Pops.
That's for you.
That makes
six consecutive victories
for this little colt
from nowhere,
one shy of the record.
Why, he may be the biggest
sensation on four legs
since Hope and Crosby.
Yes, it's standing room only
every time this pint-size pony
slips on a saddle,
and if you can't afford
the quarter,
a comfy tree limb
will catch you a glimpse.
So what is the secret
of this rags-to-riches story?
l have it on good authority
they feed Seabiscuit
two pints of ice-cold beer
before every race.
Reporting from trackside
in an equine exclusive...
Oh, my gosh!
This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin,
for Movietone News.
Who was that?
Morning.
Boy, what's this?
lt's beer.
From an admiring public.
lt's pretty good, too.
There's more in there.
Where's the horse?
Signing autographs.
He's what?
Yeah.
There you go, Max.
Let it dry for a minute
before you try to sell it.
Hey, Charles.
You think you can
break the record?
Oh, let's ask him.
Hey, Biscuit.
You gonna win one more?
You gonna break the record?
Hey, Charles.
What do you think finally
turned this horse around?
Well, l think we just
gave him a chance.
Sometimes all somebody needs
is a second chance.
l think there are a lot
of people out there know
just what l'm talking about.
You got that right.
Here, boys. Take some
horseshoes with you.
Right here, Charles.
Hey, thanks.
These are special.
Never run out of luck.
Yeah. Right.
There you go.
Sam! Where the hell
are my horseshoes?
You quit?
l can't work like this.
He's not a parade animal.
He's a racehorse.
Look, Tom, a little bit
of public relations...
l can't get him to be
a great horse if l can't get
the time to work with him.
What do you mean?
He is a great horse.
We don't know that yet.
He's won six stakes in a row.
Against who?
This.
This is a great horse.
First he smashed them
in the Kentucky Derby.
Then he crushed them
in the Preakness.
Then he destroyed all comers
in the Belmont
to snatch the Triple Crown.
At almost 18 hands,
he's as big as he is fast.
Eighteen hands?
They'd need two guys
to ride him.
Yeah, he's big.
Born of perfect breeding,
displaying perfect form,
boasting a perfect record,
the millionaire Mr. Riddle
may have finally created
the perfect horse.
Until next time,
this is Horace Halstedter
for Metrotone News.
What the hell does that mean,
anyway? Perfect. He's perfect.
What the hell does
"perfect" mean?
What?
You show me something
that's perfect, l'll show you
something that's not.
Look, he's obviously
the best horse in the East.
We're obviously
the best horse in the West.
l just think the country
deserves to see
which horse is better.
You may not be able to see it,
folks, but the gauntlet just
landed on my desk.
Are we talking about
a match race, Mr. Howard?
Whatever Mr. Riddle wants.
Match race, stakes race,
potato sack race.
Just 'cause we're littler
doesn't mean we're scared.
Right you are,
and out there in the
heartland of America,
every little guy knows
exactly what you mean.
You hear that, Mr. Riddle?
You have an appointment
with destiny, a date with...
Destiny.
Destiny. Yes, exactly.
So, destiny,
and his name is Seabiscuit.
Does Seabiscuit
stand a chance?
l'm glad they finally have
racing in California.
Do they use Western saddles
out there?
Look. Comparing these
two horses is ridiculous.
War Admiral
is a real racehorse
who's won every prestigious
race in America.
This little colt of theirs
is running out
on some cow track.
You know.
Yeah, if we responded
to every fledgling challenger
who wants to make
a name for themselves,
it wouldn't be fair to us.
But it wouldn't be fair
to them, either.
You wouldn't put
Jack Dempsey in the ring
with a middleweight.
Would you?
"Middleweight"?
l'll kill him.
l'll knock his
goddamn block off!
He's chicken!
l know. l know.
"Middleweight"? l mean...
We just have to
flush him out a little.
How?
Well, this is still
America. Right?
Yeah.
Cash.
$100,000?
The biggest purse
in American history.
l sure hope so.
You'd get every top
Eastern thoroughbred.
All of them.
You'd put this place
on the map.
They might have all that blue
blood crap. Our money is just
as good as theirs.
Charlie...
Doc, this is our moment.
Now, they're stuck
in the past.
This is the future.
Great.
Come here.
What?
Come here.
What?
Come on. Don't you
wanna see them piling off
of those train cars,
coming out here to your track?
Huh? That's victory
in itself, Doc.
That's the finish line
right there.
You sell cars like this?
Hundreds of them.
Hold your horses!
Hold your horses!
Just when you thought
you'd seen it all,
Doc Strub has gone
and raided the cookie jar.
Yes, he has smashed
the piggy bank and sold
the family silver.
$100,000 for one horse race?
Makes me want to walk around
on all fours and throw
a saddle on my back.
Will the Biscuit be the
favorite? Not likely, folks.
We're about to be invaded.
We're talking Derby winners,
Preakness winners,
Belmont winners.
Hold on, hold on.
l guess that's all one horse.
But at 100,000 bucks,
how can the Admiral
not want to dock his ship
in this friendly port?
This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin
live from Clockers' Corner.
They raised
the hundred grand!
Yeah, how about that
Hundred Grander?
No, thanks.
Excuse me, boys.
Shit!
Charles.
Shit.
Yeah, l know what you mean.
The hell with it.
We'll run him anyway.
There are still gonna be
the greatest horses
in the world,
and if we win this thing,
they're gonna have to face us.
He's gonna have to face us.
Okay. Special Agent's
pure speed.
He's gonna go to the lead,
but he can't handle
the distance.
So don't get sucked in.
l won't.
lndian Broom
could be there, too.
We'll know
they're holding him back
if they use the ring bit.
Now, the one to worry about
is Rosemont.
He closes
like a freight train,
and he'll fight you
for it at the end.
You gotta have some momentum
built up by the time
he makes his move.
lt's still kind of soggy
out there from the other day,
so try to stay off the rail
where it's deep.
l figured l'd sit back
about three wide.
Yeah, that's fine.
And other than that, just...
Just try to feel it.
He'll tell you
when he's ready.
Yeah, boy!
Red, come on, Red!
Yeah, come on. Go! Go!
Watch him, Red. Watch him.
Come on! Come on!
lt's not my fault.
Not this time.
l told you
look out for Rosemont.
l thought l had it.
You stopped riding!
l couldn't see him!
What the hell
are you talking about?
He was flying up your tail!
Yeah, well, l can't...
What?
See out there!
He lied to us.
What?
He lied to us.
You want a jockey
who lies to us?
What do you mean?
He can't see.
He's blind in one eye.
lt's fine, Tom.
lt's fine?
Yeah, it's fine.
You don't throw a whole life
away just 'cause it's
banged up a little bit.
Good night.
All right, all right.
Hold it.
Well, l guess that little
horse of theirs
turned out to be
a glorified claimer after all.
At least we don't have to deal
with this David and Goliath
nonsense anymore.
You can say that again.
All right, boys.
Let me through.
Wait a minute.
Mr. Riddle...
The hell with it.
Just a couple
of announcements.
First, Red Pollard will remain
Seabiscuit's jockey,
now and forever.
Second, if they're too scared
to come and race us,
we're gonna go find them.
We're gonna enter every race
where War Admiral
is on the card,
and if he scratches,
which he probably will,
we'll enter the next race
he's on the card.
And we won't come home
until we've faced him,
win, lose or draw.
You know,
l'd rather have
one horse like this
than 100 War Admirals.
Thanks, fellas.
Mr. Howard!
Gotta see him!
Come on!
Look, l really don't know
what to say. We appreciate it.
l'm sure the Biscuit
appreciates it, too.
He's just a little shy
about speaking in public.
He'd thank you himself.
l guess you all are here today
because this is a horse
who won't give up.
That's right.
Even when life beats him
by a nose.
That's right!
Yeah.
Ain't that the truth.
But, heck,
everybody loses a couple.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
And you either pack up
and you go home,
or you keep fighting!
lsn't that right?
Yeah!
That's right!
That's right.
Now,
do you want to see
a match race?
Yeah!
You do?
Yeah!
You wanna see this young fella
ride that horse?
Yeah!
Yes!
Seabiscuit!
Extra! Extra!
Biscuit on the warpath!
Will there be a match race?
lt's all right here.
Extra! Extra!
Biscuit on the warpath!
l don't know
what they're so worried about.
l mean, look at us.
Our horse is too small.
Our jockey's too big.
Our trainer is too old.
Forgive me, Tom.
And l'm too dumb
to know the difference!
Yeah, Charlie!
You'd think
they'd want to race us
instead of running away!
Yeah!
Ladies and gentlemen,
l am staring at a swarm
of humanity,
a sea of hungry faces
demanding the match
of a lifetime.
They have come here tonight
in the cold, in the wind,
in the chill of a late
October night.
Let me just make my way
over to one of them
so you can hear it
for yourself.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
l'm sorry. Excuse me.
Ma'am, ma'am, if l may.
What brings you
out here tonight with your
three small children
clamoring for a view
of this little horse?
Because we want to see
a match race!
l said, don't you think
Mr. Riddle
owes this country a...
Match race! Match race!
Match race!
Match race! Match race!
Match race!
Fine, but it's on my terms.
Any terms you want.
Mile and three sixteenths.
l won't accept anything else.
All right.
Want a walk-up
start with a bell.
We won't be using
any contraptions.
You mean a starting gate?
Fine.
And we run it here,
at our home track.
That's not negotiable.
Seems like a
nice enough place.
Oh, l'm sure you'll find it
quite comfortable, Mr. Howard.
Jesus Christ!
l wanna be a horse.
Well, you're
almost big enough.
That's very funny.
lt doesn't even
smell like a barn.
They probably
deodorize it every morning.
Well,
they still crap.
Well, they do. They do.
Over here, pal.
Right over here!
There you go!
This way. This way.
Take a good shot of that.
Biscuit, here...
Whoa! What's that thing?
They got us
in the servants' quarters.
ls that him?
No.
Bit too small.
That's him.
Oh, my God.
Maybe he's the kind of horse
that just looks good
in the paddock.
Wow.
We gotta get to the lead.
Biscuit never goes
to the lead.
l know,
but we gotta teach him
to break first.
lf that monster shakes loose,
we'll never catch him.
What, retrain him?
We got two weeks.
Excuse me.
We'd like to buy your bell.
He didn't tell me
you were coming.
Oh, probably
just an oversight.
Do you want me
to turn on some lights
or something?
No.
No.
No?
Okay. lt's
a predatory response.
lf l just brush it past
his flank, he'll bolt.
And we just want to teach him
to do it with the bell.
How far do you want me
to take him?
To a hundred feet.
Just so he learns
to break first.
Okay. Got it.
You ready?
Ready.
All right. Here we go.
Oh, come on, Tom!
When you gonna work
that horse out?
When he wakes up, l guess.
Geez!
For crying out loud.
The whole track?
l just want him to do it once
with nothing in front of him.
Yeah, but l can't see
out there.
That's all right. He can.
Come on, Tom. Tom, please.
Why do you always
have to do this? Shit.
Oh, great.
Jesus Christ.
Wow.
Oh, my God.
Tim.
Hey.
Pumpkin. Hey.
How you doing, Pumpkin?
Are you shy?
Hey, Red?
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah. Guess l should have
used you as a jockey
instead of a groom.
No, no. lt was...
That was great.
Look, l'm in a little trouble.
l got this horse over
in Annex, and l been trying
to sell a share of him.
Tough times and all?
l was wondering if maybe
you'd breeze him for me.
lf folks saw Red Pollard...
Yeah. l'll breeze
your horse for you.
lt's on.
Good.
Just take him
for five furlongs
at around a minute one.
Can he do that?
Should.
Try it now.
Okay, try it again.
Easy! Easy! Easy!
Look, most of the damage
was restricted to his leg.
How bad is it?
God, l don't know.
lt's shattered.
Eleven, twelve breaks.
Something like that.
We're gonna have to operate.
Just sit tight for me.
Well, we're all done.
He'll always limp,
but it looks like
he's gonna walk again.
Will he ride?
No, he's not gonna ride.
You're sure?
He won't ride.
But he's gonna walk.
You take care.
Thank you.
Hey.
You should see
the other guy.
You're gonna be fine.
Couple of months,
you're gonna be up
and around like new.
l'm the one who makes up
the stories, remember?
Well, yeah.
Maybe a little
longer than that.
Yeah.
Look, l think we're gonna
have to scratch.
No. No, don't scratch.
Son, he's a great horse,
but he can't run by himself.
Don't scratch.
Call Woolf.
Son, nobody's riding...
lt's okay.
Call him.
Are you gonna scratch?
No, we're not gonna scratch.
Red Pollard wants
Seabiscuit to win this race
more than anything
in the world.
He wouldn't let us scratch.
Thank you much.
l appreciate it.
You're welcome.
The lceman cometh!
What a pinch hitter.
Why, it's like getting
Babe Ruth off the bench.
Nerves of steel,
ice water in his veins.
Why, George Woolf is...
lrrelevant.
They can get
the Four Horsemen
of the Apocalypse
as far as l'm concerned.
Won't make any difference.
War Admiral
is a superior horse
with superior breeding.
Doesn't matter
who the passenger is.
He's got a strong
left lead, Georgie.
Banks like
a frigging airplane.
But he might need help
switching to it,
so ease him off the rail
just before the turn.
Like you did
in the Gold Cup.
Exactly.
He needs a good warm-up,
so take him out slow.
When you do ask him,
don't use the whip.
Just flick it twice,
show him it's there.
He'll know it's time.
Right.
And never on the left side.
They hit him on the left side
when he was a baby.
l wish it was you, Johnny.
Come on.
l'll be right there with you.
Great. Now, show him the stick
at the quarter pole,
and he'll give you
a whole new gear.
Okay, now,
force him to that left lead
a little earlier,
and he'll give you even more.
Great.
Now, shut the door.
Okay. You know how Smith
wants you to fight for
the lead by the first turn?
Well, yeah. We were
working with that bell.
l was a little nervous
about that.
No, no, it's fine.
But you gotta give it up
on the backstretch.
Give it up?
Give him back the lead.
He fights for it, Georgie.
lf you bring him head to head
with that other horse,
and he looks him in the eye,
there's no way
he loses that race.
You just hold him
through that final turn
and let him get a good look
at the Admiral.
Then let him go.
lt's not in his feet, Georgie.
lt's right here.
By 10:00 a.m.,
the closest place to park
was 15 blocks away.
The volume of refreshments
alone was staggering.
Seventeen thousand gallons
of lemonade.
Sixty thousand hot dogs.
Two thousand kegs of beer.
NBC broadcast the race,
and businesses around America
scheduled a half day of work
so their employees
could hear the call,
thanks in part to a missive
fired by Mr. Howard
only the day before.
Look, l know this is
a fancy track and all,
but l think they ought to
open up the infield,
so normal folks
can come see the race.
You shouldn't have to be rich
to enjoy something like this.
Seabiscuit entered the race
a 2-to-1 underdog,
but you would never know it
from the growing noise
in the infield.
Get your program!
By the time it was over,
more than 48 million Americans
would hear the call.
Okay, it's still
kind of soggy at the rails,
so try to keep him
out of there.
There's a dry tractor tread
about five feet
out off the fence.
l walked the track
this morning.
Good. Good.
Now, he ought to break
just like we worked on.
But there's one more thing.
What? Let him catch me
on the backstretch?
You're not the only one
who knows this horse.
Safe trip, George.
And a short one.
Let's go, Sam.
Good luck, George.
Thanks, Nick.
Charley!
George.
The two jockeys have
acknowledged each other.
lt's a quick hello,
like boxers touching gloves.
Come on, George.
This is no time
for small talk.
Both the horses are now on
the main track, and you can
hear the roar from the crowd.
There he is!
lt's Seabiscuit by a nose,
now by a head.
He's leading War Admiral,
pressing on him a neck behind.
They fly
toward the clubhouse turn.
Who will be into it first?
lt's Seabiscuit heading
the turn first and driving
for the backstretch!
Now, coming out of the bend,
it's Seabiscuit
with a two-length lead
coming into the backstretch.
lt's Seabiscuit by two.
Now, back him off, son.
Back him off. Back him off.
Come on back, George.
Come on, come on, come on.
Now on
the backstretch, Seabiscuit
still with a two-length lead.
Come on, Georgie.
Don't fool around.
l sure hope you're right,
Red. Here we go.
Easy, Pops.
God damn it, Johnny.
lt's now War Admiral!
lt's War Admiral!
lt's Seabiscuit
and War Admiral,
neck and neck
as they go into
the homestretch!
Close, Pops. Easy, Pops.
That's it.
Come on.
lt's Seabiscuit.
Now War Admiral! Now
Seabiscuit! Now War Admiral!
Not going now, Pops.
Now Seabiscuit!
Now War Admiral!
Do it.
Do it now. Come on, George!
Turn him loose.
Turn him loose.
Do it now, George!
So long, Charley!
Turn him loose!
Here comes Seabiscuit!
lt's Seabiscuit by a length!
Come on, Biscuit!
Seabiscuit!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Congratulations.
Amazing.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
lceman, you did it.
How does it feel?
Well, l just wish my good
friend Red Pollard was
up here today instead of me.
He will be.
This concludes
our radio broadcast
of the race of the century.
Now a word from our sponsor,
the American Oil Company.
Money can't buy
a finer motor oil...
Easy does it.
Watch it.
Watch those wheels.
All hail
the conquering hero.
Yes, folks, he's back.
The little engine that could.
No more match races
for this little pony,
because, quite frankly,
they're all out of matches.
Who's he gonna race? Pegasus?
l pity these other horses.
When will they know?
l don't know.
Maybe an hour. l'm not sure.
Charles is with the vet
right now.
Does it hurt when he bends it?
'Cause if it doesn't hurt
when he bends it...
We don't know anything yet.
l'll call you
as soon as we do.
l promise.
All right.
He was running easy on me.
There was no warning.
He's gotta be all right.
He's gotta be all right.
l know.
Mr. Howard.
Well, he ruptured
a whole ligament.
l put a splint on him
just to keep him immobilized,
but right now
he's totally lame.
He's not gonna race again.
Look,
l know this is hard,
but l'll put him down for you
if you want me to.
Oh, that's okay, Pops.
l'll come to you.
Hey.
See, first, you gotta get
a little flexibility.
Yeah. Then you can
put weight on it.
Then once you start to put
weight on it,
the whole leg gets stronger.
l know. l know.
l'm in a hurry, too, Pops.
But you know what Hadrian said
about Rome.
"Brick by brick, my citizens.
"Brick by brick."
See,
they're Arabians,
so they don't need to drink.
These horses can go
five or six days
without a drop of water,
like a camel.
Oh, l'm not saying
that's what you should do.
l'm just saying
that's what they do.
Oh, good idea.
Take a little rest.
l don't know, Red.
We're just gonna
walk in a circle.
You think the leg
will hold you?
Horse weighs 1,200 pounds,
Sam. l'm an afterthought.
No, l mean your leg.
Here comes Seabiscuit
charging down the lane,
picking off competition
one by one.
He's third! Now second!
Now first!
And it's Seabiscuit
at the wire
to win the Santa Anita
Handicap with Red Pollard
aboard! Yes!
Nice.
What?
Whoa, Pops. Easy.
Whoa.
Wow, Pops.
You feel better,
don't you, boy?
lt's okay, Sam.
l'm just gonna mow
the lawn a little bit.
Fine with me, Red.
Way to go! All right.
Looking good. Yeah,
you're great, Red!
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
Way to go, Red.
ls it even possible?
TOM: Sure.
Most folks don't
give it a chance.
Most folks just...
The best thing to do
is get him down there
and let him gallop a little.
l mean, that's the only way
we're really gonna know.
Can he handle that?
Sure. l mean, l think so.
He worked great.
l couldn't feel a thing.
Why don't we give him
a full work on Friday morning?
Maybe six furlongs.
See what we got.
Sure. l'll be here.
Thanks, George.
You're welcome.
Coming along.
Could he be ready?
For what?
Come on. You know what.
Top of the morning to you.
That's a nice colt.
Who is he?
Just a two-year-old.
He's not ready yet.
l thought maybe
you were getting a horse
ready for the Hundred Grander.
No. Just a two-year-old.
Hair of the dog.
You been here long?
No. Just got here.
Catching up on my reading.
Well, l'm sure
l'll see you soon.
Okey-dokey.
Stop the presses!
Stop the presses!
This isn't a scoop, folks.
This is three scoops
with hot fudge
and a cherry on top.
And throw in some nuts,
'cause this little horse
drives me crazy!
Guess who may be working
six furlongs next Friday.
Guess who may be shooting
for the Big 'Cap.
Oh, my saints alive!
You guessed it. Man, oh, man!
Did you ever guess it!
A minute 12, minute 13.
Something like that.
lf he starts to labor,
just slow it down.
Try and see how he feels...
Got you.
That's all right, Pops.
That's okay, boy. That's okay.
Come here. lt's okay, boy.
"And this, the most
unkindest cut of all."
Red. Red,
let me talk to you.
Talk to me?
You can't... Red!
You can't do it!
You could be crippled
for the rest of your life.
l was crippled for the rest
of my life. l got better.
He made me better.
Hell, you made me better.
Jesus Christ.
Red...
And that's as much my horse
as it is yours.
That's pretty quick.
God damn it.
lt's up to him, Red.
Yeah, but if he says
that l can't...
He's the doctor.
lt's up to him.
You made this?
Yeah. lt wraps around
my riding boot,
fasten it all the way
up the calf.
Right.
l barely feel anything
in the stirrups.
Look, it could shatter
at any moment,
even right now.
Forget about racing.
You see that right there?
That's barely healed.
There's no way to know
how much weight
it could hold under stress.
lf it gets reinjured,
it's possible he could
never walk again.
"Possible." He just said
it was "possible."
Well, hell,
anything's possible. We proved
that already, didn't we?
Red, this is different.
Yeah!
This is really different.
lt's not just some race.
lt's the Santa Anita.
l had that race. l was there.
l know.
What's going on?
Hell, even with the brace,
it'll barely hold him
if he gets bumped,
if he gets jostled...
Do you want to know
what l think?
Of course.
l think it's better to break
a man's leg than his heart.
lt's not just the leg.
lt's not!
Okay.
Mar, he could fall.
He could get trampled.
lf he gets thrown
from that horse...
He could die?
You know, l play
with this thing
all the time, too.
And no matter how hard l try,
l can't get that damn ball
to stay in the hole.
lt always rolls out again.
Just let him ride, Charles.
Just let him do it.
Jumping Jehoshaphat,
l could handle one comeback,
but this is ridiculous.
Who's next, Lazarus?
Oh, the heroism, the madness,
the excitement.
The largest crowd
ever to see a race
at Santa Anita!
and it's only 12:00!
lt's not bad.
St. Christopher. For luck.
A little late for that,
don't you think?
All right.
Let's go win us a race.
Ready?
Yeah.
Whichcee's the speed.
He's gonna be out on the lead,
but l don't think
he'll handle the distance.
Just stalk him like always.
Right.
Wedding Call
could make a late run.
Now, he's got some guts,
so look out for him, too.
Won't make that mistake again.
Relax, guys.
lt's gonna be fine.
Okay.
Charles, it's gonna be great.
Thank you, Frank.
Hope so. Bless you.
Good luck, Mr. Howard.
Thank you.
Good luck.
You're looking good.
Want a seat?
Relax. Buy you
a couple of drinks, huh?
That's a good idea.
Who you betting on?
Hey, old man.
What are you doing here?
Got another mount.
Just 'cause l'm not riding him
doesn't mean
l'm gonna sit it out.
Don't worry.
l don't stand a chance.
l'll see you at the finish.
Come on, boy.
Come on. Come on!
Come on! Go!
How you doing, Red?
Georgie.
You guys all right?
There you go, boy.
There it is.
Have a nice ride, Johnny.
Come on, Pops.
Ha! Ha!
Go home with it,
Johnny! Go on!
Come on, Red!
There it is, boy.
Come on, Biscuit!
You know,
everybody thinks we found
this broken-down horse
and fixed him,
but we didn't.
He fixed us.
Every one of us.
And l guess, in a way,
we kind of fixed
each other, too.