Krishna
Can you make a story about a horseracing horse fascinating? What if you are a not a horse or racing aficionado like me? Laura Hillenbrand proves that you can write a book that is unputdownable about a horse, albeit an extraordinary one.
This is about a horse that rose from obscurity to great fame as one of the greatest race horses in the history of USA. Instrumental in its rise are three people : Red Pollard, his jockey who got his nose pounded as an earlier boxer and who went from failure to failure begging to be a jockey and carrying his saddle; a taciturn – almost to the point of being mute – trainer Tom Smith was a refugee from a frontier place; and the owner was Charles Howard, a man who started life as a bicycle mechanic, joined the navy and found wealth as a businessman who founded an automotive empire.
But when he started, the cars or ‘horseless carriages’ were reviled and a lot of people lost their shirt in the ‘pointless investment which will have no future and cannot hold up against the horses which were ubiquitous. The fumes were so noxious that women were advised not to ride on one for fear of spoiling their constitutions. Laws were promulgated to preserve the safety of horses where, in one town ‘the drivers were required by law to stop, climb out and light roman candles every time a horse drawn vehicle came into view. On top of that, the cars were prohibitively expensive and only came with four wheels, a body and an engine. ‘Accessories’ like the bumpers, headlights and carburettors cost extra. Hilarious.
While the author tracks the enterprising Howard’s rise to untold riches, and his son Frankie’s tragic accidental death, she also provides a picture of that old California – strict and pious, with alcohol, gambling, brothels and even cabaret. As of on cue, all those things were in abundance across the border in Tijuana. The city boomed on the money spent by Californians popping across the border to spend their money.
His marriage crumbled and he married, at fifty two, Marcela, who was only twenty five and the elder sister of his daughter in law (Wife of the eldest son Lin).
The author is a gifted narrator. Though this is a biography of the horse and the people who were instrumental in making the phenomenon, each person’s narrative sparkles. The whole book reads like a thriller, which very few biographies do. (One that comes to mind readily is John Nash’s story A Beautiful Mind by Silvia Naser)
Take Tom Smith for example. He knew only horses, was a loaner and was bereft when horses, with whom he was an expert got replaced by automobiles. He was so taciturn that legend has it that when he accidentally cut off one of his own toes, all of his reaction was to hold it up and say ‘My toe’.
Or the horse showman “Cowboy Charlie” Irvin who was so big that cars and horses had to be picked specially to contain his girth or hold his weight. He offers Tom a job in his equine empire of small time races (supported by illegal betting) and variety shows with a huge equestrian presence. Even though he appears for a few pages and dies (thus vanishing out of the story), the portrayal is brilliant.
Fascinating. Reads better than a lot of fiction.
Tom Smith finally ends up with Harold and helps his horses win races. Now that he has become (relatively) affluent, he is comfortable and is given more responsibilities. He is sent to find a young, overlooked horse that can be trained to win races. That is how he comes across Seabiscuit on a far away farm.
The story then sags a bit in describing Red Pollard, who grew up in Edmonton Canada and was a struggling jockey all over North America. He was a ‘bug boy’ , the lowest of the low apprentices (the bug in the bug boy is the asterisk written against their names in the official lists!). He meets a legendary rider (nicknamed Iceman for his intrepidly cool nerves even amidst dangerous situations) called George Woolf. Another Canadian, from Vancouver.
Amazing stories of the incredible lengths the jockeys go to keep within the allowed limit – including purging stomach contents on command and running with heavy and warm clothing in sweltering heat to purge water weight to dangerous treatments (including swallowing tapeworm eggs and using a mixture that tended to ‘do the stuff’ but also spontaneously explode from within a bottle – you name it. Their condition of continued exhaustion and worse is brilliantly narrated. A joy to read, and this is how a nonfiction story should be written.
Even for those who are not into horses, this story will appeal at multiple levels – life in the twenties, the crazy antics of a group of people who were desperate to become jockeys, the hierarchy from bug boy and rise up into a strict hierarchy, the abuse they suffered at the hands of horse owners and trainers, the poverty on top of all that – fascinating stuff told in a brilliant style, with wry humour running right through it.
More astounding stories come. You learn about a jockey who would have been the very first in history to drown on the racetracks after an accident; another one who was totally given up for dead but still managed to wake up after a moonshot gamble by a desperate doctor to revive him. And many more.
Also humorous and informative at the same time is how the racetrack at Tijuana, at the very height of its glory, got destroyed by a ‘horse shit Godzilla’. Amazing.
Red Pollard gets the temperamental Seabiscuit to listen to him and wins the first race, a small race but against formidable rivals. Seabiscuit has arrived.
The book chronicles how Seabiscuit suddenly burst into prominence, and kept going from strength to strength. There is nothing to tell here in this review, but the descriptions of the races where he delighted and surprised the crowd are all well told and it is definitely worth reading, if only for the exhilaration factor that is brought out so well by the author.
Seabiscuit makes progress but is unable to challenge the most respected horse Royal xxx because every time a race was arranged, either Seabiscuit or the other horse needed to be pulled out for various reasons.
Then Pollard, riding another horse, is involved in a near collision and even though it was completely not his fault, the racing association slaps a bar on him from racing for almost a year. Livid with rage, Howard pulls Seabiscuit out of all races saying ‘No Pollard, no Seabiscuit’. Pollard is also critically injured and is recovering.
Seabiscuit goes to compete in Santa Anita cup and is completely blocked by another horse. Having seen others take an almost insurmountable lead, the new rider xxx almost catches up to beat the field. He loses by a hairline distance to the eventual winner.
When Seabiscuit is taken to Mexico, the city drowns with visitors from all over America. Seabiscuit has become the most famous racehorse in history, save the War Admiral who is winning a string of competitions. But never seems to manage to meet Seabiscuit, to Howard’s chagrin.
The great match is finally arranged in Belmont but weirdly both the War Admiral and Seabiscuit seem to be simultaneously out of form! Smith, the trainer of Seabiscuit is puzzled by Seabiscuit’s sudden loss of form but does not understand what is going on. Finally, realizing that Seabiscuit is injured, they reluctantly pull out at the last minute, with accusations of cowardice flying, and rumors that ‘Seabiscuit is finished’.
In the next match up (Howard now decides to enter Seabiscuit to the next match that War Admiral has been entered) also fizzles out, with first Pollard crushing his leg trying to tame a wild horse and then weather intervening and making it impossible for Seabiscuit to perform. It looks like Seabiscuit is not destined to face War Admiral at all, and Howard and Smith are under tremendous pressure to prove that Seabiscuit is still race worthy, let alone worthy enough to take on War Admiral.
Meanwhile, Seabiscuit is withdrawn from several races because he has developed a leg problem or because the weather does not cooperate or because the field is too muddy and this causes rumors that Seabiscuit is ‘finished’ and Howard is hiding the truth. Seabiscuit proves them wrong by spectacularly beating the competition in local matches. In another, he seems to have lost literally by a nose’s hair to another horse.
Finally is an exhilarating race, finally, between the War Admiral and Seabiscuit, where it is established who is the best racehorse in history. Great descriptions on the preparation for the race and the conditions laid out by War Admiral’s owner and how Woolf managed to circumvent the disadvantages posed by these unfamiliar conditions heaped on Seabiscuit.
At the same time as when Seabiscuit finally proved he is the greatest racehorse, he was injured, and his return to the racing world was considered extremely unlikely. So was Pollard’s after repeated severe injuries. They limped off together, determined to prove everybody wrong.
The preparation of Seabiscuit for the Santa Monica race is told in detail and the press frenzy and audience frenzy about the possible comeback of Seabiscuit is well described. When he wins against a formidable crowd and from what’s an icing on the cake from Howard’s point of view, Kayak comes in second, his joy knows no bounds.
At the height of glory and the greatest achievement, Howard retires Seabiscuit on the advice of Smith. The book’s main story ends here.
The epilog is fascinating as well. It follows the lives of the major players – we learn of the tragic end of Woolf, the remaining life of Pollard – his highs and lows, Howard and Seabiscuit itself.
The storytelling style is fascinating and excellent and it makes the horse come alive in front of our mental eyes.
An excellent read.
9/10
== Krishna