"They called it the car for Everyman." "Henry Ford himself called it a car for the "great multitude"." "It was functional and simple, like your sewing machine or your cast-iron stove." "You could learn to drive it in less than a day." "And you could get any colour you wanted, so long as it was black." "When Ford first conceived the Model T, it took 13 hours to assemble." "Within five years, he was turning out a vehicle every 90 seconds." "The real invention wasn't the car, it was the assembly line that built it." "Pretty soon, other businesses had borrowed the same techniques." "Seamstresses became button sewers, furniture makers became knob turners." "It was the beginning and the end of imagination, all at the same time." "Howard!" "Charles, I'm talking to you." " They need spokes, same as the others." " They ought to make a better spoke." "Yeah?" "Then what would you do?" "It was a land of opportunity." "The country was shrinking, and there was life to be made out west for any man with drive and ambition." "If your dream was big enough, and you had the guts to follow it, there was truly a fortune to be made." " Damn thing blew on me." " What?" "It's a Stanley Steamer." "The boiler blew." "Can you fix it?" "Sure." "Sure I can fix it." "This is an amazing machine." "It's got a two-stroke boiler system that's heated by this huge fire grate." "I mean, it's basically, a very small locomotive." " Thank you." " Now, I made some improvements." "It was your bleed valve that was blowing." "With the increased pressure, you could do 40 miles an hour." "Really?" "If you superheat the excess, I can see you reaching" " 50, maybe 60 miles an hour." " Is that right?" "And the thing of it is, Mr Coughlin, you don't feed it, you don't stable it." "Unless you hit a lamppost, it won't get sick and die on you." "That's funny." "Tell you the truth, I wouldn't spend over $5 on the best horse in America." "This is not the finish line, my friends." "This is the start of the race." "The future is the finish line." "The new Buick White Streak is just the car to take us there." "Four inline cylinders, 421/2 horsepower." "This is the car that you can buy at any of our showrooms across the Bay Area." ""'The age of the automobile is here,' boasted Howard."" ""'The future has arrived."'" "Read the part about the future again." "I'm kind of dealing with it right now." "Sorry." "I'll take him." "Come here, big guy." "Are you the future?" "Are you going to the moon?" "The moon." " I'll take it." " Do we really need all this?" "No, we don't need it..." "There is also a caretaker's house, paddock, barn, some very nice stables." "How big are the stables?" " Got it." " Settle down." "Quit." "Come on, Dad." "There you go." " You're not getting him a horse." " Why not?" "He's great at it." " Because he's 16 years old." " So?" "So, he should earn it." "All right." "Emerson!" " Everybody knows it." " All right." "Quiet." " Nobody knows Longfellow." " They do." "Dickinson." ""We never know how high we are."" "I know that." "I know it." "Well?" ""We never know how high we are till we are called to rise."" " Good." " Very good, John." ""And then if we are true to plan, Our statures touch the skies."" " Excellent." " Very good." ""The heroism..."" ""The heroism we recite would be a daily thing."" "That's it." ""Did not ourselves the cubits warp For fear to be a king."" "You should be riding it." "You knew the poem." "Yeah." "But he looks so perfect out there, doesn't he?" "Yeah, he does." "That's the poetry right there, Agnes." "Thank you for coming." "I came here 15 years ago with 21 cents in my pocket." "I know a lot of us here have a story like that." "And I can't help thinking that if we can start out there and end up here, where can't we go in America?" "So, as corny as it sounds, I'd like to propose a toast to the future." "Because out here, my friends, the sky is literally the limit." "To the future!" "There were no suicides on Wall Street that day." "It was a myth that would grow over time." "The real effect of October 29th took a little longer to sink in." "By noon, all the gains of the previous year had been obliterated." "By 4pm, nearly $ 10 billion of market value was gone." "Over the next two weeks, the haemorrhage continued." "And before long, "25"% "of the workforce was unemployed."" "A great national migration began." "Displaced families took to the American highway in the last possession that remained to them." "Their automobile." "And all at once, millions of Americans had a new definition of "home"." "I made $2 today." "What?" "I made $2." "Here." "Where did you get these?" "Your boy combed them out, changed the tack." "I didn't have to tell him a thing." "Hey, Red, where did a young fellow like you learn so much about horses?" "His name's Johnny." "You can call me Red." "Did you see..." "What's wrong?" " What's that?" " Everything." "Dickens, Wordsworth..." "Your "Arabian Nights" and "Moby Dick"." " Even your Milne from when you were..." " Why?" "What's wrong?" "Mr Blodget here, he has a house, a real house, and his wife cooks." "She's a good cook." "There's a phone next door." "We'll call." "We'll call and tell you where we are." "We're just gonna go home." " Let's go." " Listen to me, you have a gift." "Don't do this." "We'll be back." "Go with Mr Blodget." "He's gonna take care of you." "It's OK, go with him." "I don't know, you still look pretty tall to be a jock." "I never been over 115." " Where'd you learn to ride like that?" " Home." "All right, here's the way it works." "I pay you $10 a week to ride." "You owe $9 for your meals, $6 to sleep in the stalls, $3 tack fee." " That's the deal." " How do I pay all that back?" "You win." "You son of a bitch!" "Get off of me!" "Get off of me!" "A nose!" "You lose a race a nose, you better fall off trying!" "Here!" "Muck these stalls out!" "Every damn one of them!" "A nose!" "Christ's sake." "No, Bill, I'm not gonna do it." "No more lay-offs." "Well, it can't get any worse." "Look, if it stays like this, we'll just..." "We'll be fine." "Really." "We will." "All right." "I'll see you in town." "Frankie." "Come on, it's a glorious day outside." " Why don't you go fishing or something?" " I'm reading." "You can read when it's raining." "I'll teach you to drive the truck." "You already taught me to drive the truck." " What are you reading?" " "Flash Gordon"." "Come on, Dad, it's about the future." "We'll be in San Francisco till Wednesday." "Yeah?" "What?" "Come inside." "I'm not done." "Sam can do that." "I don't want Sam to do it." "I want to do it." " Annie." " No." "At a time when the world really needed a drink, you couldn't get one in America." "Liquor was illegal." "Diversions were scarce, and there's just so much a human being can do without." "Soon the border town was born, providing everything to the south that their neighbour to the north would not." "You could find anything." "Food, companionship, decent gin, and with gambling outlawed as well, the chance to turn bad luck into good." "Stride!" "Jockey rides like he's got an anvil in his pocket." "I'm gonna bet with you no more." "I no like it." "Who's that?" "George Woolf, greatest jockey in the world." " That's Charles Howard?" " Yeah." " I thought he came down here for a..." " Quickie divorce?" "Why?" "Look at him." "Nothing quick about that." "It was in the palace of the great sultan." " Sultan of where?" " The Sultan of Araby." "I'd been living there for a year, racing his Arabians across the desert by day and finishing my personal history of the region by night." "Then, one day the Sultan summons me into his throne room." "He looks at me and says..." ""John Pollard, you are my greatest jockey."" ""It is you I have chosen to ride in my 100-mile race from Kusmat to Tripoli."" "200-mile." "All right, 200 miles." "Excuse me, "sahib."" " You didn't need to wreck it." " That story started at only 50 miles." "Everything gets longer in the retelling." "Just ask your friend Wanda over there." "If you rode a little more and talked a little less, you might win some races." "I got two bucks says I beat you." "I'm not sure if you do, but I got five says I beat you." "Done!" "Gimme odds." "You're the favourite." " Even money." " Forget it." " Two to one." " You got it." "You're on a speed horse." "What are you doing back here?" "I like the conversation." "And he's not a speed horse." " You going tonight?" " Nah, you?" "Nah." " What time?" " I don't know." "Eight?" "Okey-doke." "There's my hole." "Gotta go." "Goddamn it!" " We got him." " I'll take him." "Get the hell outta here!" " I said I'll take him." " He's got a fractured foot." "You're gonna shoot him anyway." "I'll save you the bullet." "Fine." "Let him go." "Let him have him." "Hello, bud." "Hey, boy." "There's my hole!" "Gotta fly!" "There once was a princess from Siam" "Who was sitting here, sort of like I am" "I wined her and dined her, and then I reclined her..." "Shit." " What rhymes with Siam?" " That's great." "You make that up?" "Pretty obvious?" " That's beautiful." " No, you're beautiful." "Don't say that." "You pay me." "So, you wanna, you know, get going?" "Sure." "Why not?" " How do you miss a hole like that?" " There's my hole!" "Gotta fly!" "Are you blind?" "Are you OK?" "You don't want to watch?" "No, not really." "I don't either." "So, what, they brought you down here to make you feel better?" "Is that it?" "Yes." "Sort of." "Those guys." "They think everything is fixed with a party." "I'm sorry, who are you?" "Marcela Zabala." " My sister Isabella, she's married..." " No." "I know." "Nice to meet you." "Charles." "So, do you feel better?" "No." "No, not really." "How could you, with something like that?" "Come on, buddy, wake up." " Did I lose?" " No." "You clobbered him." "Easy." " Easy." "Nice and slow." " I'm fine." " Let me buy you some soup." " Go win yourself a race." "Let's go down to Sloan's and just..." "I'm fine." "I don't need your help, and I sure as shit don't need your charity." "Leave me alone." "It's 20 years since I've been on a horse." "Don't worry." "It's the kind of thing that comes right back." "Let's go." "Come on!" "She got you back up on a horse and now you want to buy 'em?" " Yeah, maybe a couple." " You want to win, or just own 'em?" " I want to win." " What a question." "You're gonna need a trainer first." "You need two." "So you can fire one." "Randy Thatcher's barn." "Trains about 50 or 60 ponies." " Good fella." "Real horse person." " Real horseshitters." "Maybe you want a smaller barn, somebody who can take the time to..." "Who's that?" "He's a crackpot." "Lives alone in the bushes." " What's he do?" " He used to be a trainer, farrier." "Now he just looks after that horse." "Come on, let's look at another barn." "Howdy." "Hello." " You hungry?" " No, thanks." "I'm fine." "Charles Howard." " Tom Smith." " Nice to meet you." "What's in his bandage?" "That's hawthorn root." "It increases circulation." "You wanna sit down?" "All right." "Thank you." "Will he get better?" "Already is, a little." "Will he race?" "No." "Not that one." "So why are you fixing him?" "Cos I can." "Every horse is good for something." "He could be a cart horse or a lead pony." "And he's still nice to look at." "You don't throw a whole life away just cos he's banged up a little." "Is that coffee?" "Yeah." "It's bad, though." " You always tell the truth?" " Yeah, I try to." "It ain't just the speed." "It's the heart." "You want something that's not afraid to compete." "Half these horses are just show ponies." "You want something that's not gonna run from a fight." "How do you find that?" "I won the Robles Handicap." "I was second in the Tijuana Derby." "I won the Manzanita Oaks." "It was a stakes race." "I know." " The horse lugged out on me at the TJ." " Sounds great." "We'll let you know." "I can work 'em out in the morning." "Or even hot-walk 'em if you need me to." "Really?" "You'll hot-walk 'em?" "This is something else." "A dream come true." "Hook you up to a plough, pull me around for a little while." "You ever run in the money?" "I don't think so." "Couldn't beat a human being, let alone another horse." "You goddamn sack-o'-crap old plater." "Probably the fastest you're gonna run in your entire life, you old glue pot." "The first time he saw Seabiscuit, the colt was walking through the fog at five in the morning." "Smith would say later that the horse looked right through him, as if to say, "What the hell are you looking at?" "Who do you think you are?"" "He was a small horse, barely 15 hands." "He was hurting, too." "There was a limp in his walk, a wheezing when he breathed." "Smith didn't pay attention to that." "He was looking the horse in the eye." "Hot damn." "He was the son of Hard Tack, sired by the mighty Man O' War." "But the breeding did little to impress anyone at Claiborne Farms." "Get rid of him." "At six months he went to train with the legendary trainer Sunny Fitzsimmons, who, over time, developed a similar opinion of the colt." "Is that a racehorse or a lead pony?" "The judgement wasn't helped by his gentle nature." "Where his sire had been a fierce, almost violent, competitor," "Seabiscuit took to sleeping for huge chunks of the day, and enjoyed lolling for hours under the boughs of the juniper trees." "His other great talent was eating." "Though half the size of other colts, he could frequently eat twice as much." "Fitzsimmons decided the horse was lazy, and felt sure he could train the obstinance out of him." "I want you to hit him as many times as you can over a quarter of a mile." "When he didn't improve, they decided the colt was incorrigible." "They made him a training partner to better horses, forcing him to lose head-to-head duels to boost the confidence of the other animal." "At three years old, he was struggling in two cheap claiming races a week." "Soon he grew as bitter and angry as his sire Hard Tack had been." "He was sold for the rock-bottom price of $2,000." "And of course, it all made sense." "Champions were large." "They were sleek." "They were without imperfection." "When they finally did race him, he did just what they had trained him to do." "He lost." "What exactly is it you like?" "He's got spirit." "I'll say." "Can he be ridden?" "Sure." "Eventually." " He can be a little touchy." " I got it." "No, really." "I'm fine." "Jesus Christ!" "Your horse is nuts!" "Come on." "Come on, you sons of bitches!" "I'll take all of you!" "It's OK." "I'm not afraid of you." "Sure." "I know." "I know what you're all about." "You hungry?" "Bet you are." "Come on, boy." "Why don't you just breeze him around one turn, give the folks a look?" "Great." "Red Pollard, Mr and Mrs Howard." " Hi." " Hello." "We'll just be moving on." "Does he breeze?" "Well, we'll find out." " Seems pretty fast." " Yeah, in every direction." "He's so beat up, it's hard to tell what he's like." "I just can't help feeling they got him so screwed up running in a circle, he's forgotten what he was born to do." "He just needs to learn how to be a horse again." "How do you do that?" "How far do you want me to take him?" "Till he stops." "OK." "That seems like a pretty good ride." "Hope so." "That's it, boy." "You're all right." "Let's see what you got." "That's it." " Well, at least he wasn't expensive." " No, that's true." "Goddamn it." "You're an amazing animal." " You can come inside." " I'm fine, thank you." "Yeah, you look it." "No, really, I'm fine." "OK." "Suit yourself." "Welcome." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "It's OK." "I'm not that hungry." "Sure you're not." "It's just a lot of food." "It's OK." "I'd rather have you strong than thin." "They called it relief, but it was a lot more than that." "It had dozens of names." "NRA, WPA, the CCC." "But it really came down to just one thing." "For the first time in a long time, someone cared." "For the first time in a long time, you were no longer alone." " Goat racing?" " No." "Just trying to calm him down." "The smart ones hate being alone all the time." "And sometimes another animal, it just soothes 'em a bit." "Pretty quiet in there." " What did you do?" " Go take a look." "OK." "Don't break him or anything, but we gotta see what he's got." "You take him to the five-and-a-half pole and turn him loose." " Turn him loose?" " Yeah, son, he's a racehorse." "Come on!" "I know you got more than this!" "Let's show 'em, boy!" "How's he look?" "Asleep." "Come on." "Let's show 'em, Pops." "There it is!" "My goodness." "You and me!" "Let's go!" " What?" "Fast?" " Yeah." "How fast?" "Your horse just broke the track record at Tanforan." "Sometimes they just hanker for a little competition." "Talking of long shots, I got a real doozy for you, folks." "We got a horse that's going off at 70 to 1, and that's a short price." "This horse couldn't win a church raffle, let alone a $2,000 allowance." "A jump in class?" "This is the skunk of the garden party." "He's the surprise in the punchbowl." "I'll lay even money this nag Seabiscuit couldn't finish six furlongs." "This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin, live at Clocker's Corner." " I wanted maroon, they only had red." " Looks great." "You don't think the H is too big?" "You seen the size of our jockey?" "OK." "The favourite's that grey over there." "He's got a big late charge, so lock in early with him and stay right off his flank." "Once our boy sees who the competition is, he'll do most of the work." "But don't move till that grey does." "And what if it's late?" "I don't think it's gonna matter much." "Honestly." "Hey, "sahib."" "Kind of small, isn't he?" " Gonna look a lot smaller in a second." " I got five bucks says he doesn't." "Done." "And away they go!" "Pirate's Cove breaks first, followed by Gerondo." "Silver Treasure is third, followed by Seabiscuit." "Son of a bitch." "Piece-of-shit bastard!" "What the hell is he doing?" " Let's go!" " What are you doing?" "I'm gonna put you on the rail, you piece of shit!" " Get off of me!" " How do you like that?" "Get off me." "You like the rail?" "Maiden's Prayer and Seabiscuit setting a blazing fraction." " Here comes the cavalry charge." " Knock me off my horse?" "It's Silver Treasure on the inside, followed by Kendango and Pirate's Cove." "Silver Treasure and Pirate's Cove." "At the wire it's Silver Treasure, the winner by two-and-a-half lengths." " What were you thinking?" " He fouled me." " Do I let him get away with that?" " Yeah, when he's 40 to 1." " He almost put me in the rail!" " Well, did he?" "Look, We had a plan." "He fouled me." "What am I supposed to do?" "He cut me off!" " He fouled me!" " Son." "What are you so mad at?" "There's even a phone next door." "We'll call you." "Every few weeks we'll tell you where we are." "We're just gonna go home, all right?" "You have a gift." "I need to borrow some money." "All right." "I haven't been to a dentist, and I need to borrow some money." " It's fine." " I don't know when I can pay you back." "I mean, when we win I can pay you back." "That is, if you still want me to ride." "Of course I want you to ride." "How much do you need?" "$10." "Here." "It's fine." "Thank you." "I really appreciate it." "That's it, Pops." "We're OK now." "It's all right, boy." "Yeah, we're OK." "Nothing to worry about." "All the time in the world, boy." "That's it." "Nice and easy." "Just like that." "What do you think?" "You ready to go?" "You and me." "Let's go!" "In the end, it wasn't the dams, or the roads, or the bridges or the parks, or the tunnels, or the thousands of other public projects that were built in those years." "It was more invisible than that." "Men who were broken only a year before, suddenly felt restored." "Men who'd been shattered suddenly found their voice." "I just think this horse has a lot of heart." "He may have been down, but he wasn't out." "He didn't let it get to him." "We could all learn a lick or two from this little guy." "He doesn't know he's little." "He thinks he's the biggest horse around." "You got big plans for this little horse?" "Sometimes when the little guy, he doesn't know he's a little guy, he can do great big things." "You see, this isn't the finish line." "The future is the finish line." "The Biscuit is just the horse to get us there." "Just the horse to get us there." "You certainly made a believer out of me." "It's time for this tout to eat crow." "Four and 20 blackbirds, to be exact, all baked up in some humble pie." "I'll take mine "a la mode."" "One more thing." "I just want to say..." " Thanks for the champagne." " Don't mention it." " Did you see the infield?" " Not yet." "Take a look." "Your little horse is selling out the cheap seats." "My gosh." "What do you think about all those folks in the infield?" "That's who we're riding for, folks with a quarter in their pocket." "That's an awful lot of hoopla for such a little horse." ""Though he be but little, he is fierce."" " What's that?" " That's Shakespeare, boys." "Holy cow." "Look at that, Biscuit." "There you go." "You and I." "Hurry!" "There he is!" "That's for you." "That's six consecutive victories for this little colt, one shy of the record." "He may be the biggest sensation on four legs since Hope and Crosby." "It's standing room only for this pint-size pony." "If you can't afford the quarter, a tree will catch you a glimpse." "What is the secret of this story?" "I have it on good authority they feed him two pints of beer before every race." "Reporting from track side, in an equine exclusive..." "Tick-Tock McGlaughlin, for Movietone News." "Who was that?" "Morning." "What's this?" "It's beer." "From an admiring public." "It's good, too." "There's more in there." " Where's the horse?" " Signing autographs." "He's what?" "There you go, Max." "Let it dry for a minute before you try to sell it." " Think he can break the record?" " Let's ask him." "Hey, Biscuit, you gonna win one more?" "You gonna break the record?" "What do you think finally turned this horse around?" "I think we just gave him a chance." "Sometimes all somebody needs is a second chance." "There are a lot of people out there who know just what I'm talking about." "Here, boys." "Take some horseshoes with you." "These are special." "Never run outta luck." "There you go." "Where the hell are my horseshoes?" " You quit?" " I can't work like this." "He's not a parade animal." "He's a racehorse." "A little bit of public relations..." "I can't get him to be a great horse if I can't have time to work with him." "What?" "He is a great horse." " We don't know that." " He's won six stakes in a row." "Against who?" "This is a great horse." "First he smashed them in the Kentucky Derby." "Then he crushed them in the Preakness." "Then he destroyed all comers in the Belmont to snatch the Triple Crown." "At almost 18 hands, he's as big as he is fast." "18 hands?" "You need two guys to ride him." "That's big." "Born of perfect breeding, boasting a perfect record, the millionaire Mr Riddle may have finally created the perfect horse." "Until next time, this is Horace Halsteder for Metrotone News." "What the hell does that mean?" ""He's perfect."" " What the hell does "perfect" mean?" " What?" "You show me something that's perfect, I'll show you something that's not." "He's the best horse in the East." "We're the best horse in the West." "The country deserves to see which horse is better." "You can't see it, but the gauntlet just landed on my desk." " We're talking about a match race?" " Whatever Mr Riddle wants." "Match race, stakes race, potato-sack race." "Just cos we're littler doesn't mean we're scared." "Right you are." "Out in America, every little guy knows what you mean." "You hear that?" "You have an appointment with destiny." "A date with..." " Destiny?" " Destiny, exactly." "So destiny, and his name is Seabiscuit." "I'm glad they finally have racing in California." "Do they use Western saddles out there?" "Look, comparing these two horses is ridiculous." "War Admiral is a real racehorse who's won every prestigious race in America." "This little colt of theirs is running out on some cow track." "If we responded to every challenger who wants to make a name for themselves, it wouldn't be fair to us." "But it wouldn't be fair to them either." "You wouldn't put Jack Dempsey in the ring with a middleweight." "Would you?" "Middleweight?" "I'll kill him." "I'll knock his goddamn block off." "He's chicken." "Middleweight?" " We have to flush him out a little." " How?" " This is still America, right?" " Yeah." "Cash." "$100,000?" " The biggest purse in American history." " I sure hope so." "You'd get every top Eastern thoroughbred." "All of them." "You'd put this place on the map." "They might have all that blue-blood crap." "Our money is just as good as theirs." "Doc, this is our moment." "They're stuck in the past." " This is the future." " Great." " Come here." " What?" "Don't you want to see 'em piling off of those train cars, coming out here to your track?" "That's victory in itself, Doc." "That's the finish line right there." " Do you sell cars like this?" " Hundreds of 'em." "Hold on!" "Just when you thought you'd seen it all," "Doc Strub has raided the cookie jar and sold the family silver." "$100,000 for one horse race?" "Makes me want to throw a saddle on my back." "Will the Biscuit be the favourite?" "Not likely." "We're about to be invaded." "We're talking Derby winners, Preakness winners, Belmont winners." "Hold on." "I guess that's all one horse." "But at 100,000 bucks, how can the Admiral not want to dock his ship in this friendly port?" "This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin live from Clocker's Corner." "You gonna race the 100 grand stakes race?" "How 'bout that 100 grander?" "No, thanks." " Come on." " Excuse me." " Shit!" " Charles." " Yeah, I know what you mean." " We'll run him, anyway." "There's still gonna be the greatest horses." "If we win, they're gonna have to face us." "He's gonna have to face us." "Special Agent's pure speed." "He's gonna go to the lead, but he can't handle the distance, so don't get sucked in." " I won't." " Indian Broom could be there too." "We'll know they're holding him back if they use the ring bit." "The one to worry about is Rosemont." "He closes like a freight train, and he'll fight you for it at the end." "You gotta have some momentum built up by the time he makes his move." "It's still kinda soggy out there from the other day, so try to stay off the rail, where it's deep." " I figured I'd sit back three wide." " Yeah, that's fine." "And other than that, just try to feel it." "He'll tell you when he's ready." "Come on, Red!" "Go!" "Watch him." "Come on!" " It's not my fault this time." " I told you, look out for Rosemont." "I thought I had it." " I couldn't see him!" " What are you talking about?" " He was flying up your tail." " I can't..." " What?" "...see out there!" " He lied to us." " What?" "He lied to us." "You want a jockey who lies to us?" "What do you mean?" "He can't see." "He's blind in one eye." "It's fine, Tom." " It's fine?" " Yeah, it's fine." "You don't throw a whole life away just cos it's banged up a little bit." "Good night." "I guess that horse of theirs turned out to be a glorified claimer after all." "At least we don't have to deal with this David and Goliath nonsense anymore." "All right, let me through." "The hell with it." "Just a couple of announcements." "First, Red Pollard will remain Seabiscuit's jockey, now and forever." "Second, if they're too scared to come and race us, we're gonna go find them." "We'll enter every race where War Admiral is on the card, and if he scratches, we'll enter the next race he's on the card." "We won't come home until we've faced him, win, lose or draw." "You know" "I'd rather have one horse like this than a hundred War Admirals." "Thanks." "Look, I don't know what to say." "We appreciate it." "I'm sure the Biscuit appreciates it too." "He's just a little shy about speaking in public or he'd thank you himself." "I guess you all are here today because this is a horse who won't give up..." "That's right." "...even when life beats him by a nose." "But, heck, everybody loses a couple." "Yes, sir." "You either pack up and you go home, or you keep fighting." "Isn't that right?" "That's right." " Do you want to see a match race?" " Yeah!" " You do?" " Yeah!" "You want to see this young fellow ride that horse?" "Seabiscuit!" "Extra!" "Extra!" "Biscuit on the warpath." "Will there be a match race?" "It's all right here." "I don't know what they're so worried about." "I mean, look at us!" "Our horse is too small, our jockey's too big, our trainer's too old." "Forgive me, Tom." "And I'm too dumb to know the difference." "You'd think they'd want to race, instead of running away." "Ladies and gentlemen, I am staring at a swarm of humanity." "A sea of hungry faces demanding the match of a lifetime." "They have come here tonight in the cold, in the wind." "In the chill of a late October night." "Let me just make my way over to one of them so you can hear it for yourself." "Excuse me, I'm sorry." "Ma'am, what brings you out here tonight with your three small children clamouring for a view of this little horse?" "Because we want to see a match race." "I said, "Don't you think Mr Riddle owes this country a..."" "Match race!" " Fine, but it's on my terms." " Any terms you want." "Mile and 3"l"16ths." "I won't accept anything else." " All right." " I want a walk-up start, with a bell." "We won't be using any contraptions." "You mean a starting gate?" "Fine." "And we run it here, at our home track." "That's not negotiable." "Seems like a nice enough place." "I'm sure you'll find it quite comfortable, Mr Howard." "Jesus Christ." "I want to be a horse." "You're almost big enough." "That's very funny." "It doesn't even smell like a barn." "They probably deodorize it every morning." "They still crap." "Well, they do." "Right over here!" "Biscuit!" "They got us in the servants' quarters." " Is that him?" " No." "A bit too small." "That's him." "My God." "Maybe he's the kind of horse that just looks good in a paddock." " We gotta get to the lead." " Biscuit never goes to the lead." "I know, but we gotta teach him to break first." "If that monster shakes loose, we'll never catch him." "What, retrain him?" "We got two weeks." "Come with me." "Excuse me." "We'd like to buy your bell." " He didn't tell me you were coming." " Probably just an oversight." "You want me to turn on some lights or something?" "It's a predatory response." "If I just brush it past his flank, he'll bolt." "We want to teach him to do it with the bell." "How far do you want me to take him?" "100 feet." "Just so he learns to break first." "You got it." " You ready?" " Ready." "All right, here we go." "Come on, Tom." "When are you gonna work that horse out?" "When he wakes up, I guess." "Jeez." "For cryin' out loud." "The whole track?" "I just want him to do it once with nothin' in front of him." " But I can't see out there." " That's all right." "He can." "Tom, please, why do you always have to do this?" "Shit." "Great." "Jesus Christ." "My God." "Tim." "Pumpkin." "How you doin', Pumpkin?" "Don't be shy." "Hey, Red?" "My gosh." "Guess I should've used you as a jockey instead of a groom." "That was great." "Look, I'm in a little trouble." "I got this horse, and I've been tryin' to sell a share of him." "Tough times and all." "I was wondering if maybe you'd breeze him for me." "If folks saw Red Pollard..." "Yes, I'll breeze your horse for you." "Take him for five furlongs, at around a minute one." " Can he do that?" " He should." "Try it now." "OK, try it again." "Easy!" "Most of the damage was restricted to his leg." " How bad is it?" " I don't know." "It's shattered." "11, 12 breaks." "Something like that." "We're gonna have to operate." "Just sit tight for me." "We're all done." "He'll always limp, but looks like he's gonna walk again." "Will he ride?" "No, he's not gonna ride." " You're sure?" " He won't ride." "He's gonna walk." " Take care." " Thank you." " You should see the other guy." " You're gonna be fine." "Couple of months, you're gonna be up and around like new." "I'm the one who makes up the stories, remember?" "Well, yeah." "Maybe a little longer than that." "I think we're gonna have to scratch." "No, don't scratch." "He's a great horse, but he can't run by himself." "Don't scratch." "Call Woolf." " Son, nobody rides..." " It's OK." "Call him." " Are you gonna scratch?" " No, we're not gonna scratch." "Red Pollard wants Seabiscuit to win this race more than anything." "He wouldn't let us scratch." " Thank you." "I appreciate it." " You're welcome." "The Iceman cometh." "What a pinch-hitter." "It's like getting Babe Ruth off the bench." "Nerves of steel!" "Ice water in his veins!" " Why, George Woolf is..." " Irrelevant." "They can get the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, it won't make a difference." "War Admiral is a horse with superior breeding." "Doesn't matter who the passenger is." "He's got a strong left lead, Georgie." "Banks like a friggin' airplane." "But he might need help switching to it, so ease him off before the turn." " Like you did in the Gold Cup." " Exactly." "He needs a good warm-up, so take him out slow." "When you do ask him, don't use the whip." "Just flick it twice, show him it's there." " He'll know it's time." " Right." "And never on the left side." "They hit him on the left side when he was a baby." " I wish it was you." " Come on." "I'll be right there with you." "Great." "Show him the stick at the quarter pole and he'll give you a whole new gear." "Force him to that left lead a little earlier, and he'll give you even more." "Great." "Shut the door." "OK, you know how Smith wants you to fight for the lead by the first turn?" "Yeah." "We were working with that bell." " I was a little nervous about that." " It's fine." "But you gotta give it up on the back stretch." " Give it up?" " Give him back the lead." "He fights for it." "If you bring him head to head with that other horse and he looks him in the eye, there's no way he loses that race." "You just hold him through that final turn and let him get a good look at the Admiral, then let him go." "It's not in his feet, Georgie, it's right here." "By 10am, the closest place to park was 15 blocks away." "The volume of refreshments alone was staggering." "17,000 gallons of lemonade;" "60,000 hot dogs; 2,000 kegs of beer." "NBC broadcast the race, and businesses scheduled a half-day of work, so their employees could hear the call, thanks in part to a missive fired by Mr Howard only the day before." "I know this is a fancy track and all, but they ought to open up the infield so normal folks can come see the race." "You shouldn't have to be rich to enjoy this." "Seabiscuit entered the race a 2 to 1 underdog, but you would never know it from the growing noise in the infield." "By the time it was over, 40 million Americans would hear the call." "OK, it's still kinda soggy at the rail, so try to keep him outta there." "There's a dry tractor tread about five feet out off the fence." "I walked the track this mornin'." "Good." "Now, he oughta break, just like we worked on, but there's one more thing." "What?" "Let him catch me on the back stretch?" "You're not the only one who knows this horse." "Safe trip, George." "And a short one." "Let's go, Sam." " Good luck, George." " Thanks, Nick." "The two jockeys acknowledge each other." "It's a quick hello, like boxers touching gloves." "Come on, this is no time for small talk." "Both horses are now on the track, and you can hear the roar from the crowd." "There he is!" "It's Seabiscuit by a nose." "Now by a head!" "He's leading War Admiral, pressing on him and then flying." "They fly toward the clubhouse turn." "Who will be into it first?" "It's Seabiscuit hitting the turn first and driving for the back stretch!" "It's Seabiscuit with a two-length lead pulling into the back stretch." "It's Seabiscuit by two." "War Admiral is lagging." "Seabiscuit by two." "By two and a half." "Now back him off, son." "Bring him back." "Come on." "Down the back stretch they come!" "It's Seabiscuit with the lead." "Come on, don't fool around." "Sure hope you're right, Red." "Here we go." "Easy." "Goddamn it." "Here comes War Admiral!" "It's War Admiral!" "They're neck and neck as they drive in the outstretch." "Keep it close." "Easy." "That's it." "Come on." "As they head into the far turn, it's Seabiscuit." "No, War Admiral." "No, Seabiscuit." "Not long now." "It's Seabiscuit." "No, War Admiral." "These horses are shoulder to shoulder as they drive into the far turn!" "Do it." "Do it now." "Come on, George." "Turn him loose." "Do it now." "So long." " Turn him loose!" " Here comes Seabiscuit!" "It's Seabiscuit by a length." "By a length and a half." "War Admiral is fading." "Seabiscuit by two!" " Come on." " Seabiscuit by two and a half!" "He's really getting away now!" "War Admiral is fading!" "Yes!" " Thank you." " Congratulations." " Amazing." " Congratulations." "Thank you." "Iceman, you did it." "How does it feel?" "I wish my friend Red Pollard was up here today instead of me." "He will be." "This concludes our radio broadcast of the race of the century." "Now a word from my sponsor, the American Oil Company." "Money can't buy a finer motor fuel than Amoco oil." "Easy does it." "Watch that wheel." "Hail the conquering hero." "He's back, "The Little Engine That Could."" "No more match races for this pony, because they're all outta matches." "Who's he gonna race, Pegasus?" "I pity these other horses." "When will they know?" "I don't know." "Maybe an hour." "I'm not sure." "Charles is with the vet." "Does it hurt when he bends it, cos if not..." "We don't know anything yet." "I'll call you when we do, I promise." "All right." "He's gotta be all right." "Mr Howard." "Well, he ruptured the ligament." "I put a splint on him to keep him immobilised, but right now he's totally lame." "He's not gonna race again." "I know this is hard, but I'll put him down for you if you want me to." "That's OK, Pops." "I'll come to you." "First you gotta get a little flexibility." "Then you can put weight on it." "Then once you start to put weight on it, the whole leg gets stronger." "I know." "I'm in a hurry too." "But you know what Hadrian said about Rome." ""Brick by brick, my citizens." "Brick by brick."" "See, they're Arabians, so they don't need to drink." "These horses can go five or six days without a drop of water." "Like a camel." "I'm not sayin' that's what you should do." "I'm just sayin' that's what they do." "Good idea." "Take a little rest." " I don't know, Red." " We're just gonna walk in a circle." "You think the leg will hold you?" "Horse weighs 1,200 pounds." "I'm an afterthought." "No, I mean your leg." "Here comes Seabiscuit charging down the lane, picking off competition one by one." "He's third." "Now second." "Now first." "And it's Seabiscuit at the wire to win the Santa Anita Handicap with Red Pollard aboard." "Yes!" "What?" "Easy." "You feel better, don't you, boy?" "It's OK, I'm just gonna mow the lawn a little bit." "Fine with me." "Way to go." "All right." "Lookin' good." "You're lookin' great." " Is it even possible?" " Sure." "Most folks don't give it a chance." "Most folks just..." "The best thing to do is get him down there and let him gallop a little." "That's the only way we'll know." " Can he handle that?" " Sure." "I mean, I think so." "He worked great." "I couldn't feel a thing." "Why don't we give him a full work on Friday morning?" "Maybe six furlongs." "See what we got." "Sure." "I'll be here." "Thanks." "He's coming along." " Could he be ready?" " For what?" "Come on." "You know what." "Top of the mornin' to you." "That's a nice colt." "Who is he?" "Just a two-year-old." "He's not ready yet." "I thought you were getting it ready for the Hundred Grander." "Just a two-year-old." "Hair of the dog." " You been here long?" " Just got here." "Catching up on my reading." " I'm sure I'll see you soon." " Okey-dokey." "Stop the presses!" "This isn't a scoop." "This is three scoops with hot fudge and a cherry on top." "And throw in some nuts, cos this little horse drives me crazy." "Guess who may be working six furlongs soon, and shooting for the Big 'Cap?" "My saints alive, you guessed it." "Man, oh, man, did you ever guess it." "Minute 12, minute 13, somethin' like that." "If he starts to labour, just slow it down." "Just try and see how he feels and..." "It's all right." "That's OK." "Come here." "It's OK." ""And this, the most unkindest cut of all."" " Let me talk to you." " Talk to me." "You can't do it." "You could be crippled for life." "I was crippled for life." "I got better." "He made me better." "Hell, you made me better." "Jesus Christ." "And that's as much my horse as it is yours." "Goddamn it." " It's up to him." " But if he says that I can't ride..." "He's the doctor." "It's up to him." "You made this?" "It wraps around my riding boot." "Fasten it all the way up the calf." "I barely feel anything in the stirrups." "Look, it could shatter at any moment." "Even right now." "Forget about racing." "You see that?" "That's barely healed." "There's no way to know how much weight it could hold under stress." "If it gets re-injured, it's possible he could never walk again." ""Possible"." "He just said it was "possible"." "Anything is possible." "We proved that already, didn't we?" " This is different." " Yeah, this is really different." "It's not just some race, it's the Santa Anita." " I had that race, I was there." " I know." "Even with the brace, it will barely hold him if he gets bumped, if he gets jostled." " Do you want to know what I think?" " Of course." "I think it's better to break a man's leg than his heart." "It's not just the leg." "It's not!" "He could fall, he could get trampled." " If he gets thrown from that horse..." " He could die?" "I play with this thing all the time, too." "And no matter how hard I try, I can't get that damn ball to stay in the hole." "It always rolls out again." "Just let him ride, Charles." "Just let him do it." "I could handle one comeback, but this is ridiculous." "Who's next, Lazarus?" "Oh, the heroism, the madness, the excitement." "The largest crowd ever for a race at Santa Anita." "55,000 in the stands, 20,000 in the infield, and it's only 12." "It's not bad." "St Christopher for luck." "Little late for that, don't you think?" "All right, let's go win us a race." "Santa Anita racing programmes right here." " Ready?" " Yeah." "Whichee's the speed." "He's gonna be out on the lead, but I don't think he'll handle the distance." " Just stalk him, like always." " Right." "Wedding Call could make a late run." "He's got some guts, so look out for him too." "I won't make that mistake again." "Relax, guys." "It's gonna be fine." "Thank you." "Hope so." "Bless you." " Good luck." "Looking good." " Don't jinx me." "Relax." "Buy you a couple of drinks?" "Good idea." "Who you betting on?" "Hey, old man." " What're you doing here?" " Got another mount." "Just cos I'm not riding him, doesn't mean I'm gonna sit it out." "Don't worry, I don't stand a chance." "I'll see you at the finish." "Come on, boy!" "Come on!" " How're you doin', Red?" " Georgie." "You guys all right?" "There you go, boy." " There it is." " Have a nice ride." "Come on, boss." "Go on with it." "Come on, Red!" "There it is, boy." "Come on, Biscuit!" "Everybody thinks we found this broken-down horse and fixed him, but we didn't." "He fixed us." "Every one of us." "And I guess, in a way, we kind of fixed each other, too." "If I had a million dollars" "I know just what I would do" "I'd tie a string around the world" "And bring all of it to you" "Those little things you pray for" "Whatever they may be" "I'd have enough to pay for" "Them all, COD" "If I spent a million dollars" "I know I would never care" "Because as long as you are mine" "I'd still be a millionaire" "That's why I'm always dreaming" "Dreaming of what I would do" "If I had a million dollars" "For you"