Seabiscuit’s Abilitiy to Capture the Imagination of Nation was Priceless and Profound

Posted by TeddyBear in April 27th, 2008

Well, if you can not tell, I am a horse racing fan. You see, I understand the ability for an external, a third to interdependently uplift and transcend. Seabiscuit, was this little horse that did not know he was a little horse. This story especially told by Laura Hilgenbrandt is stunning and powerful for your conservative spirit. Watch the movie, because it is also just as powerful, but I realy want you to take some time this spring to read Laura’s book. You will not put it down and it will never leave you. It is like the land in which you are born. It is always with you. This story does not dwell in all the mountains of evidence and reasons why this lot of racing orphans could or should not accomplish what they did. No, this story is about acknowledging the victories with the defeats and never making excuses for them. Yes, just doing what God put you on this earth to accomplish and enjoying doing that.

My friends over at www.powerlineblog.com had this great Seabiscuit book review way back from:

April 19, 2003

Seabiscuit

I generally leave pop culture commentary to the Trunk, but sometimes I can’t resist a plug. This is old news, but if you haven’t read Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, you should. It is a great book in every way; a wonderful slice of American history written not by an academic historian but by a writer for Equus and Thoroughbred Times magazines. Seabiscuit is one of the best books to appear in some years, and, while its author had no political intentions whatever, the book’s themes will appeal strongly to conservative readers.

Universal Pictures is coming out with a movie, starring Tobey Maguire as Red Pollard, Seabiscuit’s principal jockey, in July. I, for one, can’t wait. In the meantime, PBS has jumped on the bandwagon with a special to be aired Monday night. Based on this review in the New York Times, it sounds pretty good. You can switch to it after the Little Trunk interview on MSNBC.

Hillenbrand’s book says that in 1938, the personality to whom the largest number of column inches of press were devoted was not Hitler or Roosevelt, but Seabiscuit. The photo below shows Seabiscuit, center, in one of his last races, at the Santa Anita racetrack in 1940. All I can say is–whether you’re already a horse racing fan or not, read the book.

Look at just the size difference between little seabiscuit and the two horses that sandwiche him and Red Pollard. The characters in this book are heroic in their own right. If you know little about horse racing the author will really unfold it before you in this book as well as those who love the sport so much.

To let you know how much I love this story, I have the VHS, DVD, paperback and Special edition hardcover that has all the great old photo’s. Now, I do not usually do this for anything. Usually, if I read it, scene it or tried it, I am done with it. However, this book and movie are those go too type forms of art that I return for inspiration, and a reminder that mountains get moved.

The Derby is coming here this upcoming week. Take some time and find this book. It is worth atleast a couple of good reads. You know they always say the movie is great but the book is better. Well in this case it is true, although I would not give up either. They both are great works of art that I cherish.

Now, will this Summer season of races allow us to watch an inspirational story or two? If you have ever been around the racetrack, there are more stories there that go untold then get told. Go find one this summer, then come back to the Grizzly Groundswell and tell us about it!

~Teddy Bear

For a closing treat here is the Youtube video of Seabiscuit VS War Admiral in the 1938 Match Race literally heard all around the world!