Seabiscuit: An American Legend by L.Hillenbrand - Book Report/Review Example

Just when Smith and Howard meet Seabiscuit so do we, as he is racketing at a racing track at Detroit around a stall. He was terrorizing the grooms as he fought his inherent and natural instinct to go for a run. Smith immediately sees the potential in the Man-o-war grandson who was runty (Hillenbrand 33). In Red Pollard, Smith also found a jockey who could understand the horse. Within weeks, Seabiscuit set out to do what he was born to do. He ran his first race under the care of Smith. At first, even Smith is not certain of the ability of the horse, until one glorious day when he clocks him on a track in San Francisco and he found Seabiscuit running at a pace set for world records.

The next step was the Santa Anita Handicap which was one of the richest horse events and races in the entire world (Hillenbrand 62). From then onwards, we follow through the career of Seabiscuit for the next four years both through tragedy and triumph. We are taken through the sidelining of Red Pollard because of his crushing injuries who later turned the reins over to his exceptionally dear friend by the name George Woolf. The legendary jockey rode Seabiscuit in against the superhorse War Admiral in the match race of the century.

Victory continues to elude them in the Santa Anita Handicap race (Hillenbrand 11). The story has its comic moments. For instance, a description of the day by Hillenbrand of a solid mountain of manure that is swept up in a flood that demolished the race track Agua Caliente in Tijuana is nothing short of comic relief. Any reader will be hard-pressed not to let out a loud laugh. Ditto Hillenbrand report of a conversation that took place between Red Pollard who was lying in a bed at the hospital and, George Woolf that was broadcasted live on radio.

The radio technicians are unable to hit controls fast enough to repress the two as they conversed (Hillenbrand 222). Sea biscuit was in the habit of holding back in a bid to tease his opponents and later blowing them off the race track with a burst of sheer speed. This brings the horse to life. He was not only fast but also a terrifically wise guy who enjoyed long naps and snacks quite often. Tom Smith was concerned because of his tendency towards pokiness. The personality of the horse is given some depth and is fleshed out.

The reader is able to create a friendship with the little horse by the time he takes to the tracks for the Santa Anita Handicap race that takes place in 1940. Seabiscuit-An American Legend satisfies all the relevant points, from a vivid and beautiful account of the dreams of three men to the portrait of a bygone period and later the portrait of an underdog champ, it is an account that should be read by all.