Seabiscuit: The Long Shot That Captured America's Hearts

Seabiscuit: The Long Shot That Captured America's HeartBy: Shadow & Smokey

In the 1930's the realities of the Great Depressiondrove deep into most men's hearts. At the time the average American worker was earning about $500 a year. At least those who were fortunate to find work.

Times were hard, there was little to cheer about.Adolph Hitler was in the news and everyone knew trouble was brewing in the world.

Ten years of hardship had just passed, the hardesteconomic times in our history. Americans needed something.....something that they could relate to, something that theycould find hope in.....something that would givethem encouragement.

Encouragement....hope.....faith, that the little guycould pull out of this depression and make a go of it,that men who were formerly down and depressed could come from behind and make a decent life for himself and his family.

America found it's hero in a rather unique form.

A horse named Seabiscuit.

He had short legs, asymmetrical knees that didn't quite straighten all the way giving him a crouching stance and an odd, inefficient "eggbeater" gait that one writer likened to a duck waddle.

No one ever thought Seabiscuit would amount to much,his career had been noteworthy only in its appalling rigor.

Seabiscuit was a horse that no one really wanted.

Yet, he had something inside of him that was inherited from his grandfather, the immortal racehorse, Man O' War. That something was a tenacity, a bull dog determination, a spirit of winning.

With that spirit and the determination and patienceof his owner, trainer and jockey, Seabiscuit began winning.

Seabiscuit was something that folks could relate to.Something that had been given little chance of eversucceeding, something that had a lot of problemsand adversity to overcome.....Seabiscuit was nowthe little guy who came from behind and beat the odds.

Seabiscuit gave people hope. Hope that they too couldcome from behind and win in life.

In 1937 Seabiscuit garnered more newspaper columnthan Hitler, Mussolini, Roosevelt, Churchill, or anyother public figure. He had won 10 major events, broken 5 track records and taken in the most winnings ofany race horse that year....yet he was not namedHorse of the Year.

An eastern black beauty that had won the Triple Crownnamed War Admiral was instead, picked as Horse of the Year.

But, Seabiscuit was rapidly becoming the heart throb of America. His owner, Charles Howard was a worthysalesman who knew how to "play the press" ...America soon clamored for a match up.

On November 1, 1938 the two horses went head to headon a small race track that held just 16,000 seats.By race time there were 30,000 fans in the standsand another 10,000 in the infield. The rest ofAmerica virtually shut down to listen to the broadcast.Even President Roosevelt delayed a press conferenceto listen.

It was no contest. Seabiscuit hit the finish 4 fulllengths in front and had ran the race in near worldrecord time.

The little horse from nowhere, the little guy withthe wobbly gait, the horse nobody wanted, beat War Admiral,the big strong guy with all the right moves and withthe big money behind him.....Seabiscuit had become thelong shot that captured America's hearts.

By the end of 1938, Seabiscuit had won 33 races, set 16 track records and equaled another. He was literally worth his weight in gold, having earned a world record $437,730, nearly 60 times his purchase  price.

With the looming war in the papers, America nowhad something they could relate to, something thatgave them the hope and determination they neededto understand and know they could survive whateverwould soon come and know that they could come outof the Great Depression on top and victorious.

We all need something to believe in, we all can relate to the little guy who comes from behind, the onewho is forgotten and made fun of and who nobodyreally gives a chance to make it....the long shotthat overcomes and makes good.