Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The heroes of this true story entered the stage as minor players and left as champions…real life American legends. In 1936, an unlikely cast of characters came together: SEABISCUIT: a burned-out, knobby-kneed racehorse – RED POLLARD: a down and out, half blind jockey – GEORGE WOOLF: the “Ice Man,” a cool and cocky rider – TOM SMITH: an aging western trainer bypassed by the big time – CHARLES S. HOWARD: Buick dealer and horse owner, a self made man. Seabiscuit’s story played out against America’s Great Depression, when one in four breadwinners was without work. Spectator sports, radio programming and movie theaters offered an escape and created instant celebrity... even for horses. When America needed him most, Seabiscuit became the working man’s hero and the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorse in history! He made us believe in ourselves, in courage, in perseverance, in America. No other racehorse has come close to Seabiscuit’s fame or his hold over the nation’s imagination. This program includes the complete archival Seabiscuit and War Admiral “Match Race,” which is considered to be the greatest horse race in history. Riding Seabiscuit was George “Ice Man” Woolf, whom Laura Hillenbrand calls “the greatest jockey who ever lived.” Featuring real footage of jockey Red Pollard’s thrilling victory at the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap.
