Seabiscuit

In Chicago, Seabiscuit’s team was met with skepticism. Though no one from their camp had declared his career over, word got out that the track veterinarians in Boston had. When Seabiscuit emerged from the train walking fine, reporters peppered Smith with questions. The injury had turned out not to be serious and Smith had nursed his horse back to health. The public still adored Seabiscuit, but the press and track officials harbored doubts. Lots of demands and accusations were put forth. Some argued that Howard and Smith had faked Seabiscuit’s injury; others thought Howard should be required to sign a guarantee that he would race in the July 4 handicap coming up.

It rained on race day, though it let up by the time the race began. Seabiscuit had been assigned 130 pounds and, having not raced in some time, had gained weight and was out of shape. His camp knew he had little chance of winning, but to save face they had to run him. After a poor start, he finished a respectable second, but that didn’t stop one reporter from declaring, “The Seabiscuit myth is broken” (231). Afterward, they headed back to California.

Seabiscuit’s next race was the inaugural Hollywood Gold Cup, with a purse of $50,000.