Yesteryears
Seabiscuit's Polo Connection
By Gwen Rizzo

Seabiscuit, a thoroughbred racehorse that is the subject of a popular book and Hollywood movie, at one time was offered for sale as a polo pony. Seabiscuit was an unlikely racecourse hero who overcame the odds and became an inspiration to a dispirited America during the Great Depression.

Seabiscuit was born in 1934, a descendant of Man o' War. His start was shaky--even though he raced against other poorly performing horses he didn't win. His owner at the time decided it was time to move him. The book Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, stated how owner "Gladys Phipps was convinced that even if Fitzsimmons could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, the horse was still much too small to make it in the more lucrative 'handicap' division, in which he would have to carry heavier weights. The new crop of horses coming into the barn was a big one, and the stable string had to be culled. Seabiscuit topped the list of disposable horses, and Phipps was eager to find a buyer. Unable to do so, she tried to pawn the colt off as a polo pony. The prospective buyer took one look at the colt's crooked legs and passed."

At the same time Charles Howard was making it big selling automobiles. Hillenbrand recounts: He spearheaded some philanthropic endeavors and "he also began to live a little. Finding his elder sons, Lin and Charles junior, attempting to play polo with rake handles and a cork ball, he divested Long Island of its best polo ponies and gave them to his boys, who became internationally famous players." Howard was also getting involved in horse racing. He purchased Seabiscuit in August 1936, and with Tom Smith as trainer, hired Red Pollard as jockey.

Just a month later, Seabiscuit won the Governor's Handicap at Detroit racetrack--his first big win in 50 races. In October, Seabiscuit, a long shot, won the Scarsdale Handicap.

He won two more races in late 1936. From there it was on to the Santa Anita track in California, where he did well, though he lost the Santa Anita Handicap in early1937.

Later that year Smith took Seabiscuit to the East Coast, the most prestigious horse racing region. There Seabiscuit did very well, earning more money than War Admiral, who had won the Triple Crown that year. In March 1938 plans got underway for a May race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral at Belmont, but only after getting the nod of approval from polo player C.V. Whitney, a member of the Westchester Racing Association's board of directors. The race was cancelled after Seabiscuit came up sore. The two horses finally met in November when Seabiscuit beat War Admiral at Pimlico racetrack in Maryland.

Seabiscuit was injured in 1939, but he recuperated and in 1940 made a comeback. In February he won the San Antonio Handicap in record time. And in his third try, he won the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, in the fastest mile and a quarter time at that track and the second fastest ever in America. Seabiscuit then retired to Charles Howard's ranch.

Meanwhile Lindsey "Lin" Howard went on to play polo on the Sands Point team with Tommy Hitchcock, Eric Pedley and Pete Bostwick, winning the 1932 Monty Waterbury Cup.

Lin Howard was partners with Bing Crosby in their thoroughbred racing operation called Bing-Lin Stables. After Seabiscuit became a great champion, many of the Bing-Lin mares were bred to him. Then Bill Gilmore bought the Bing-Lin herd and the mares in foal to Seabiscuit. The foals didn't turn out to be prolific track winners, so many of them were put to work as polo ponies.

            --Brenda Lynn contributed to this story