Is 'Seabiscuit' based on a true story? Know all about the Tobey Maguire starrer

The 2003 film Seabiscuit is one of the most unique film’s ever made in Hollywood. The film revolves around the success story of a racehorse named 'Seabiscuit'. Helmed by American film director Gary Ross, Seabiscuit is based on a 1999 non-fiction book-Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The film was nominated for seven Oscars at the time. The 2003 film, stars the Spiderman fame actor Toby Maguire as John “Red” Pollard. Read on to find out, “If Seabiscuit is based on a real story?”

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Seabiscuit real story: Is Seabiscuit based on a real story?

According to the report of The Cinemaholic, Seabiscuit is indeed based on a true story. Seabiscuit was a horse, who was relatively small in stature and did not look the part of a racehorse. At the beginning of its career, Seabiscuit had raced 35 times, when it was just 2-year-old. It had produced five wins with seven second-place finishes. 

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Seabiscuit Real Story: What is the real story behind the film?

The sweet streak of success did not last long for the horse, as it only won four of his 12 starts. Its performance was especially inadequate, given that he was under one of the most acclaimed trainers of that time, James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons. The continuous failures brought the racehorse a lot of disgrace and were finally banished from the racing community. However, fate seems to be giving Seabiscuit a chance when, it is bought by Charles Howard, a rich car salesman for $8,000. Howard then entrusts the disgraced racehorse to Tom Smith, a trainer known for his unorthodox training methods. 

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Seabiscuit real story: What happens to Seabiscuit under Smith’s guidance?

Tom Smith instantly understood that something extraordinary about the horse. Hence with the help of a new rider Red Pollard, the trainer brought out the best in both Seabiscuit and Pollard. Seabiscuit goes on to win many accolades starting from the Detroit Governor’s Handicap. The racehorse also wins titles such as the Scarsdale Handicap, Bay Bridge Handicap, and even the World’s Fair Handicap. 

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As a result, of Seabiscuit’s soaring popularity and it's winning streak, it was selected for the ultimate race with War Admiral. The race was Dubbed as the “Match of the Century,” and garnered 40,000 fans at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Unfortunately, Pollard injured himself, and his replacement was George Woolf. According to the report of The Cinemaholic, Seabiscuit delivered an unforgettable show for all it’s followers and dominated the race by four lengths. In 1938, the racehorse finally acquired his rightful “Horse of Year Title” and eventually made a whopping career earning of $437,730.

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