Seabiscuit (2003) - full transcript

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.

Of course, 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.

You know, they oughta
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.

How are you, sir?

- Damn thing blew on me.
- What?

It's a Stanley Steamer.
The boiler blew.

- Oh?
- 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...

Well, it's basically a
very small locomotive.

- Thank you.
- Now, I made some improvements.

It wasn't your boiler that was
blowing; it was your bleed valve.

So, with increased
pressure, I can see

you getting up to
40 miles an hour.

Really?

Oh, yeah and if you superheat the
excess, I can see you reaching...

- 50, maybe 60 miles an hour.
- Is that right?

Easily. And the thing of it is,
Mr Coughlin, you don't feed it,

you don't stable it,

and unless you hit a
lamppost, the thing's

not gonna get sick and die on ya.

- That's funny.
- To tell you the truth,

I wouldn't spend more than five

dollars 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.

And the new Buick White Streak is
just the car to take us there.

Four in-line cylinders,
42 1/2 horsepower,

And this is the very same car

that you can buy at
anyone of our five

showrooms all across the Bay Area.

"The age of the
automobile is here,"

boasted Howard. "The
future has arrived."

Oh, my.

Read the part about
the future again.

Oh, I'm kind of dealing
with it right now.

Oh, sorry. Here. I'll take him.

Come here, big guy.
Come here. Come here.

Oh, are you the future,
huh? Are you the future?

Are you gonna...

Are you going to the moon?

The moon. Whee.

I'll take it.

Do we really need all this?

No. No. We don't need it...

There's also a caretaker's
house, a paddock, a barn,

some very nice stables.

How big are the stables?

Got it.

Settle down. Settle down.

Quit. Quit. Whoa. Whoa.

Whoa.

Whoa.

Come on, Dad.

Whoa.

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.

- All... All right. Quiet.
- Everybody knows it.

Nobody knows
Longfellow. Dickinson.

Ooh.

"We never know how high we are..."

Oh, I know that. Yeah. I know.

- 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.
- Yes. That's really good.

Oh.

- "The heroism..."
- Right.

Right. "The heroism..."

"The heroism we recite...

"would be a daily thing,

Oh, 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.

That's the poetry.

Thank you. Thank you for coming.

I came here 15 years ago
with 21 cents in my pocket.

I know a lot of us at the
table have a story like that.

And, you know, 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. To the future.

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 29
took a little longer to sink in.

By noon, all the gains of the

previous year had
been obliterated.

By 4:00 p.m., 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 two dollars today.

- What?
- I made two dollars.

Here.

Where did you get these?

Yeah, your boy combed 'em
out, changed all the tack.

I didn't have to tell him a thing.

- Hey, Red...
- Attaboy.

Where'd a young fella like you
learn so much about horses?

His name's Johnny.

You can call me Red.

Whoo.

Yeah. Whoo. Yeah.

What's wrong? What's wrong?

- What's that?
- Everything.

Dickens, Wordsworth.

There's 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.

Dad... Dad, what's wrong?

- And his wife cooks.
- She is a good cook.

There's even a phone next
door. We'll call you.

Every couple of weeks, we'll call

you, and we'll tell
you where we are.

We're just gonna go home,
all right? Let's go.

Listen to me.

You have a gift. You have a gift.

Don't... Don't do this.

- Dad, don't do this.
- We'll be back.

- Mum.
- Go with Mr Blodget.

No.

He's gonna take care
of you, sweetie.

- Mum, don't do this.
- Ok, go with him.

I don't know. You still look
pretty tall to be a jockey.

I've 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 nine dollars for your meals,

six dollars to sleep in the
stalls, three dollar tack fee.

That's the deal. How do
I pay all that back?

You win.

Ow.

You son of a bitch. Get off me.

Yah.

Get lost.

Get off me. Get off me.

Get off me.

A nose? You lose a race a nose,
you'd better fall off trying.

Here. Muck these stalls down,
every damn one of 'em.

A nose. For Christ's sake.

No. 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...

Bill, 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... Why don't you
go fishing or something?

I'm reading.

You can read when it's raining.

Come on, I'll teach you
to drive the truck.

You already taught me
to drive the truck.

- Well, 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.
- Don... Don... No.

Ma'am.

Come on, Red. Come on.

At a time when the world
really needed a drink,

you couldn't get one in the
United States of 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.

Relax. You got it. You
got it. You got it.

Go.

That jockey was riding like he's
got an anvil in his pocket.

I'm gonna bet with you no
more. I don't 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 almost 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.
- John Pollard.

You are my greatest jockey.

It is you I have chosen to
ride my hundred mile race

from Kusmat to Tripoli.

200 mile.

All right. 200-mile.
Excuse me, sahib.

You didn't need to
wreck it, Georgie.

When you started telling that
story, it was only 50 miles.

Yeah, well, everything gets
longer in the retelling.

Just ask your friend
Wanda over there.

You know, if you start
riding a little

more and talking a little less,

you might start
winning some races.

I got two bucks says I
beat you in this one.

I'm not sure if you do,

but I got five says I beat you.

Done.

Give me odds. You're
the favourite.

Even money.

- Nah. Forget it. Two-to-one.
- Fine.

You got it.

Hey, Johnny, you're
on a speed horse.

What are you doing
back here with me?

I like the conversation,
and it's not

a speed horse. Don't
try to hook me.

- You going tonight?
- Nah. You?

- Nah.
- What time?

- I don't know. 8:00?
- Okey-doke.

Oops. There's my
hole. Gotta go. Yah.

Goddamn it.

Whoa.

We got him.

- I'll take him.
- Get the hell out of here.

- I said, I'll take him.
- He's got a fractured foot.

If you're gonna shoot him anyway,
I'll save you the bullet.

- Whoa.
- Fine.

Let him go. Hey, let him have him.

Now, bud.

Yeah, boy.

Okey-doke, Johnny. There's
the hole. Gotta fly.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

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.

Ah, shit. What rhymes with Siam?

That's great. You make that up?

Pretty obvious, huh?

- 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?

Angel, are you okay?

Ole.

Ole.

You don't wanna watch?

No. Not really.

I don't either.

Ole.

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?

Oh. Marcela Zabala.

My sister, Isabella,
she's married...

No. No, no. I know.

Nice to meet you.
Charles. Mucho gusto.

So, do you feel better?

No. No, not really.

No. How could you?

With something like that.

Come on, buddy. Wake up.

Come on.

- Did I lose?
- Oh, no. You clobbered him.

Easy.

- Easy, nice and slow.
- I'm fine. I'm fine.

Come on. Let me buy
you some turtle soup.

I'm fine, George. Go win
yourself a race or something.

Look, let's go down to
Sloan's, and we'll just...

I'm fine, George.

I don't need your help, and I sure
as shit don't need your charity.

Leave me alone, all right?

It's been 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.

What? She got you back up on a
horse, and now you wanna buy 'em?

Yeah. Maybe. Maybe a couple.

Well, you wanna win
or just own 'em?

- I wanna win.
- What sort of question is that?

Well, you're gonna need a
trainer before you buy horses.

No. You need two. So
you can fire one?

Randy Thatcher's barn. Trains
about 50 or 60 ponies.

Good fella too. Real horse person.

A real horse-shitter. Scusa, scusa

Now, now. I don't know, maybe
you want a smaller barn,

somebody who can take the time...

- Who's that?
- Huh?

Oh, he's a crackpot. Lives
alone in the bushes.

What's he do?

I don't know. He used to
be a trainer, farrier.

Now he just looks
after that horse.

Come on. Let's look
at another barn.

- Howdy.
- Hello.

- Wh... You hungry?
- No. No, thanks.

I'm fine. Charles Howard.

Tom... Smith. Nice
to meet you, Tom.

What's... What's in his bandage?

Oh, that's hawthorn root.
It increases circulation.

You wanna sit down?

Oh. 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?

Because 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 know, you don't throw
a whole life away...

just because he's
banged up a little.

Is that coffee?

Yeah.

It's bad, though.

You always tell the truth?

Well, 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?

Look, I won the Robles Handicap. I
was second in the Tijuana Derby.

I won the Manzanita
Oaks. You know,

that used to be a stakes race.

I know.

I would've won T.J., but the
piece of shit lugged out on me.

Sounds great. We'll let ya know.

Look.

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,
walking you around.

Hook you up to a plough, pull
me around for a little while.

Come on.

You ever run in the money? Huh?

Hey. Hey. You ever
run in the money?

I don't think so.

Couldn't beat a human being,
let alone another horse.

You goddamn sack-of-crap
old plater.

Probably the fastest you're
gonna run in your entire life,

you piece-of-shit old glue-pot.

That's right.

The first time he saw Seabiscuit,

the colt was walking through the
fog at 5:00 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.

God... 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 was shipped off

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,

Seabiscuit 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.

By the time he was
three years old,

Seabiscuit 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... Can he be ridden?
- Oh, sure.

Eventually.

- He can be a little touchy.
- Yeah, I got it.

No. Really.

I'm fine.

Jesus Christ. That horse is nuts.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

Let's go. Come on,
you sons of bitches.

Let's go. Come on.

Let's go. Come on,
you sons of bitches.

I'll take all of you.
Come on. Come on.

It's okay.

I'm not afraid of you.

Sure. I know.

I know what you're all about.

You hungry?

Huh?

Yeah. Bet you are.

Huh? Come on.

Come on, boy.

Yeah.

Why don't you just breeze
him around one turn.

Give the folks a look. Right.

Red Pollard, Mr and Mrs Howard.

Yeah. Hi.

Hello.

Well, we'll just be moving on.

Does he breeze?

Well, we'll find out.

- Seems pretty fast.
- Yeah.

In every direction.

Hell, 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.

Well, how do you do that?

How far do you want
me to take him?

Till he stops.

Okay.

That seems like a
pretty good ride.

Hope so.

That's it, boy.

You're all right.

Let's see what you
got, boy. Ha. Ha.

Ha. Ha. Whoo.

That's it, boy. That's it.

Yeah.

Whoo.

Whoo-hoo.

Well, at least he
wasn't expensive.

No. That's true.

Whoo.

Goddamn it. You're
an amazing animal.

Whoo.

You can come inside, you know.

- I'm fine. Thank you.
- Yeah, you look it.

No, really, I'm fine.

Okay. Suit yourself.

Welcome.

Thank you. You're welcome.

It's okay.

Oh, I'm not that hungry.

Sure you're not.

It's just a lot of food.

It's okay.

Rather have you strong than thin.

They called it "relief,"

but it was a lot more than that.

It had dozens of names:

N.R.A., W.P.A.,

the C.C.C.

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?

Oh, no. Just trying to
calm him down a little.

Smart ones hate being
alone all the time.

- Oh.
- And sometimes another animal,

it just... just
soothes them a bit.

Pretty quiet in there.

What'd you do?

Go take a look.

Oh.

♪ Rock of ages, cleft for me ♪

♪ I am hid and safe in thee ♪

♪ For the water and the blood ♪

♪ From thy riven ♪

Okay.

You don't break him or anything,
but we gotta see what he's got.

You take him to the 5½
pole and turn him loose.

Turn him loose?

Yeah, son. He's a racehorse.

Ha. Ha. Come on.

Come on.

Ha. 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. Come on.

Whoo. There it is. Yeah.

Whoo.

Oh, my.

Yeah, you and me. Let's go.

Whoo. Whoo-hoo.

- Boy. Fast?
- Oh. Yeah.

How fast?

Your horse just broke the
track record at Tanforan.

Sometimes they... they just,

hanker for a little competition.

As long as we're
talking 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, my friends.

This horse couldn't win a church

raffle, let alone a
$2,000 allowance.

Yeah, talk about a jump in class.

This is the skunk of
the garden party.

Yes, he's the surprise
in the punch bowl.

As a matter of fact, I'll lay
even money that this nag,

Seabiscuit, couldn't even
finish six furlongs.

This is Tick-Tock McGlaughlin
live at Clockers' Corner.

Wow.

I wanted maroon. They
only had bright red.

Oh, it looks great.

You don't think the
"H" is too big?

You seen the size of our jockey?

Okay. 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.

Okay.

Once our boy sees who
the competition is,

he'll do most of the work.

But don't move till
that grey does.

What if it's late?

Let's go.

Twelve minutes to post.

I don't think it's
gonna matter much.

Honestly.

Come on in. Number 3,
Pollard on Seabiscuit.

Hey, sahib. Kinda small, isn't he?

Gonna look a lot smaller
in a second, Georgie.

I got five bucks says he doesn't.

Starter's poised. The flag is up.

And there they go.

Pirate's Gold breaks
first, followed

by Geronimo on the outside.

Silver Treasure is third,
followed by Seabiscuit.

They're coming by the
five-furlong pole.

It's Pirate's Gold, Geronimo,
Hill's Army and Water Dulce.

Whoa.

Son of a bitch. Ha. Ha.

Piece of shit bastard.

What the hell is he doing?

Opening up a 3... a
4-length lead...

- Let's go.
- What are you doing?

I'm gonna put you on the
rail, you piece of shit.

Get off me.

How do you like that,
you son of a bitch?

You're gonna drop me, man.

The two horses are flying down...

You like the rail?

- Here comes the cavalry charge.
- Knock me off my horse.

It's Silver Treasure
on the inside.

Silver Treasure on the inside.
Silver Treasure and Pirate's Gold.

And at the wire it's
Silver Treasure.

Aw, damn it.

- What the hell were you thinking?
- He fouled me.

What am I supposed to do,
let him get away with that?

Well, 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, Tom.

What am I supposed to
do? He cut me off.

He fouled me.

Son? Son.

What are you so mad at?

There's a phone next
door. We'll call you.

Every couple of weeks, we'll call
you and tell you where we are.

No. We're just gonna
go home. All right?

You have a gift.

You have a gift.

I need to borrow some money.

All right. I,

I haven't been to a
dentist, and m...

Well, I need to borrow some money.

That's fine.

I don't know when I
can pay you back.

I mean, when we win. 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?

Ten dollars.

Here.

It's fine.

Thank you. I really appreciate it.

That's it, Pops.

We're okay now. It's
all right, boy.

Yeah, we're okay.

Nothing to worry about.

All the time in the world,
boy. That's it, Pops.

Nice lead. Just like that, boy.

Just like that.

What do you think,
boy? You ready to go?

You and me. Let's go,
boy. Let's go. Ha. Ha.

Ha. Ha.

Whoo.

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.

Well, I just think this
horse has a lot of heart.

He may have been down,
but he wasn't out.

He may have lost a few, but
he didn't let it get to him.

We could all learn a lick or
two from this little guy.

Oh, and by the way, he
doesn't know he's little.

He thinks he's the
biggest horse out there.

So you got big plans
for this little horse?

Oh, yeah. See, sometimes
when the little guy,

he doesn't know he's a little
guy, he can do great big things.

Can we get a shot here?

See, this isn't the finish line.

The future is the finish line,

and 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, Mr Howard.

It's time for this old
tout to eat some crow.

Four and 20 blackbirds,
to be exact,

all baked up in some humble pie,

and I'll take mine a la mode.

Oh.

And one more thing, Mr
Howard. I just wanna say...

- Thanks for the champagne.
- Don't mention it.

- Did you see the infield?
- No, not yet.

Take a look.

Your little horse is selling
out the cheap seats.

Oh, my gosh.

Hey, what do you think about all
those folks in the infield, Red?

That's who we're riding for, folks
with a quarter in their pocket.

Red. Red. Red.

That's an awful lot of hoopla
for such a little horse.

"Though he be but
little, he is fierce."

- What's that? What?
- That's Shakespeare, boys.

- That's Shakespeare.
- Oh, Shakespeare.

Holy cow.

Look at that, Biscuit.
Look at that.

There you go. Oh, my God.

There he is. Seabiscuit. Yea.

That's for you, Pops.

That's for you.

That makes six
consecutive victories

for this little colt from nowhere,

one shy of the record.

Why, he may be the
biggest sensation

on four legs since
Hope and Crosby.

Yes, it's standing
room only every time

this pint-size pony
slips on a saddle,

and if you can't
afford the quarter, a

comfy tree limb will
catch you a glimpse.

So what is the secret of
this rags-to-riches story?

I have it on good authority
they feed Seabiscuit...

two pints of ice-cold
beer before every race.

Reporting from trackside
in an equine exclusive,

Oh, my gosh.

- McGlaughlin, Movietone News.
- Who was that?

Morning.

- What's this?
- It's beer.

From an admiring public.

It's pretty good too.
There's more in there.

- Where's the horse?
- Signing autographs.

He what?

Here you go, Max. Let it dry for a
minute before you try to sell it.

Hey, Charles. You think
he can break the record?

Oh, let's ask him. Hey, Biscuit.

You gonna win one more? You
gonna break the record?

Hey, Charles.

What do you think finally
turned this horse around?

Well, I think we just
gave him a chance.

Sometimes all somebody
needs is a second chance.

I think there are a lot
of people out there...

know just what I'm talking about.

You got that right.

Here, boys. Take some
horseshoes with you.

- Hey, thanks.
- These are special.

- Never run out of luck.
- Great.

Sam. Where the hell
are my horseshoes?

- You quit?
- I can't work like this.

He's not a parade animal.
He's a racehorse.

Look, Tom, a little bit
of public relations...

I can't get him to
be a great horse...

if I can't get the
time to work with him.

- What do you mean?
- He is a great horse.

We don't know that yet. He's
won six stakes in a row.

Against who?

This... 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.

Eighteen hands? Can't
be too fast a runner.

Yeah, he's big.

Born of perfect breeding,

displaying perfect form,
boasting a perfect record,

the millionaire Mr Riddle may have
finally created the perfect horse.

Until next time, this is Horace
Halstedter for Metrotone News.

What the hell does
that mean anyway?

Perfect. 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.

Look, he's obviously the
best horse in the East.

We're obviously the
best horse in the West.

The country deserves to see
which horse is better.

Yo-ho-ho-ho. You may not
be able to see it, folks,

but the gauntlet just
landed on my desk.

Are we talking about a
match race Mr Howard?

Whatever Mr Riddle wants.

Match race, stakes race,
potato sack race.

Just because we're littler
doesn't mean we're scared.

Right you are, and in the
heartland of America,

every little guy knows
exactly what you mean.

You hear that, Mr Riddle?

You have an appointment with
destiny, a date with...

- Destiny.
- Destiny. Yes, exactly.

So destiny, and his
name is Seabiscuit.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Does Seabiscuit stand a chance...

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
fledgling 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.

Huh?

Would you?

"Middleweight?" I'll kill him.

I'll knock his goddamn block off.

- He's chicken.
- I know. I know.

- Middleweight?
- We just have to flush him out.

How?

Well, this is still
America. Right?

Yeah.

Cash.

A hundred thousand dollars?

The biggest purse in
American history.

I sure hope so.

You'd get every top Eastern
thoroughbred. All of 'em.

You'd put this place on the map.

They might have all
that blue blood crap.

Our money is just
as good as theirs.

Charlie... Doc,
this is our moment.

Now, they're stuck in the
past. This is the future.

Great.

- Come here.
- What?

Come on. Don't you wanna see 'em?

Piling off those train cars.
Coming out here to your track.

Huh? That's victory in itself.

Doc?

That's... That's the
finish line right there.

You sell cars like this?

Hundreds of 'em.

Hold your horses. Hold
your horses. Just

when you thought
you'd seen it all,

Doc Strub has gone and
raided the cookie jar.

Yes, he has smashed the piggy
bank and sold the family silver.

$100,000 for one horse race?

Makes me wanna walk around on all

fours and throw a
saddle on my back.

Will the Biscuit be the
favourite? Not likely, folks.

We're about to be invaded.

We're talking Derby winners,

Preakness winners,
Belmont winners.

Hold on, 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 Clockers' Corner.

They raised a hundred grand.

Hey, how about that
hundred grander?

No, thanks.

Excuse me, boys.

Shit. Charles.

Shit.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

The hell with it.
We'll run him anyway.

There are still going to be the
greatest horses in the world,

and if we win this thing,
they're gonna have to face us.

He's gonna have to face us.

Okay. 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.

Now, 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 kind of soggy out
there from the other day,

so try to stay off the
rail where it's deep.

I figured I'd sit back
about three wide.

Yeah, that's fine.

And other than that, just...

just try to feel it.

He'll tell you when he's ready.

Yeah, boy.

Come on, Red.

Ha. Ha.

Yeah, come on. Go. Go.

- Whoo-hoo.
- Watch him. Watch him.

Come on. Come on.

It's not my fault. Not this time.

I told you look out for Rosemont.

I thought I had it.

- You stopped riding.
- I couldn't see him.

What are you talking about?
He was flying up your tail.

- Yeah, well, 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 because it's banged
up a little bit."

Good night.

All right, all right. Hold it.

Well, I guess that little
horse of theirs...

turned out to be a glorified
claimer after all.

Well, at least we don't
have to deal with

this David and Goliath
nonsense any more.

- Huh? Huh?
- You can say that again.

- All right, boys. Let me through.
- Wait a minute. Mr Riddle...

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're gonna enter every race where
War Admiral is on the card,

and if he scratches,
which he probably will,

we'll enter the next
race he's on the card.

And 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, fellas.

Gotta see him. Come on.

Look, I really 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.

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.

That's right. Ain't
that the truth.

But, heck, everybody
loses a couple.

Yes, sir.

And you either pack up and you
go home, or you keep fighting.

- Isn't that right?
- Yeah.

- That's right.
- That's right.

Now,

- do you want to see a match race?
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
- You do?

You wanna see this young
fella riding that horse?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

Seabiscuit.

Extra. Extra. Biscuit
on the warpath.

Will there be a match race?
It's all right here.

Extra. Extra. Biscuit
on the warpath.

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 is too old.

Forgive me, Tom.

And I'm too dumb to
know the difference.

Yeah, Charlie.

You'd think they'd want to race
us instead of running away.

Yeah.

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. Excuse me.
I'm sorry. Excuse me.

Ma'am, ma'am, if I may.

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.

Match race. Match
race. Match race.

Match race. Match
race. Match race.

Match race. Match race.

Fine, but it's on my terms.

Any terms you want.

Mile and 3/16ths. I won't
accept anything else.

All right.

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.

Oh, I'm sure you'll find it
quite comfortable, Mr Howard.

Jesus Christ.

I wanna be a horse.

Well, you're almost big enough.

That's very funny.

It doesn't even smell like a barn.

They probably deodorise
it every morning.

Well, they still crap.

- Well, they do.
- They do.

Over here, pal. Right over here.

- There you go.
- This way. This way.

Biscuit, here...

Whoa. What's that thing?

They got us in the
servants' quarters.

- Is that him?
- No.

Bit too small.

That's him.

Oh, my God.

Maybe he's the kind of horse that
just looks good in the paddock.

Wow.

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.

Excuse me.

We'd like to buy your bell.

They didn't tell me
you were coming.

Oh, probably just an oversight.

Do you want me to
turn on some lights?

No. No. No?

Okay. 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 you want me to take him?

A hundred feet. Just so
he learns to break first.

Okay. Got it.

- You ready?
- Ready.

All right. Here we go.

Oh, come on, Tom. When you
gonna work that horse out?

When he wakes up, I guess.

Geez.

For crying out loud.

The whole track?

I just want him to do it once...

with nothing in front of him.

- Yeah, but I can't see out there.
- That's all right. He can.

Aw, come on, Tom.
Tom, please. What...

Why do you always have
to do this? Shit.

Oh, great.

Jesus Christ.

Wow. Huh.

Oh, my God.

- Tim.
- Hey.

Pumpkin. Hey.

How ya doing, Pumpkin?

Are you shy?

Hey, Red?

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. Guess I should have used you
as a jockey instead of a groom.

No, no. It was...

That was great.

Look, I'm in a little trouble.

I got this horse
over in Annex, and I

been trying to sell
a share of him.

Tough times and all?

I was wondering if... if maybe
you'd breeze him for me.

If folks saw Red Pollard...

Yeah. I'll breeze
your horse for you.

It's on. Good.

Just take him for five furlongs
at around a minute-one.

- Can he do that?
- Should.

Try it now.

Okay, try it again.

Whoa. Whoa.

Easy. Easy. Easy.

Aaah.

- Stop it.
- Whoa.

Look, most of the damage
was restricted to his leg.

How bad is it?

God, I don't know.
It's, shattered.

Eleven, 12 breaks.
Something like that.

We're gonna have to operate.

Just sit tight for me.

Well, we're all done.

He'll always limp, but, it 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.

You take care.

Thank you.

Hey.

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.

Yeah.

Look, I think we're
gonna have to scratch.

No. No, don't scratch.

Son, he's a great horse, but
he can't run by himself.

Don't scratch.

Call Woolf.

- Son, nobody's riding...
- It's okay.

Call him.

Are you gonna scratch?

No, we're not gonna scratch.

Red Pollard wants
Seabiscuit to win this

race more than
anything in the world.

He wouldn't let us scratch.

Thank you much. I appreciate it.

You're welcome.

The Iceman cometh.
What a pinch hitter.

Why, 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 as far
as I'm concerned.

Won't make any difference.

War Admiral is a superior
horse with superior breeding.

Doesn't matter who
the passenger is.

He's got a strong
left lead, Georgie.

Banks like a frigging aeroplane.

He might need help
switching to it, so ease

him off the rail just
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, Johnny.
- Aw, come on.

I'll be right there with you.

Aaah.

Ay, ya, ya, ya, ya.

Great. Now, show him the
stick at the quarter pole,

and he'll give you
a whole new gear.

Okay, now,

force him to that left
lead a little earlier,

and he'll give you even more.

Great, now

shut the door.

Okay.

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.

No, that's fine.

But you gotta give it
up on the backstretch.

- Give it up?
- Give him back the lead.

He fights for it, Georgie.

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 10:00 a.m. The closest
place to park...

was 15 blocks away.

The volume of refreshments
alone was staggering.

Seventeen thousand
gallons of lemonade.

Sixty thousand hot dogs.

Two thousand kegs of beer.

NBC broadcast the race,

and businesses around America
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.

Look, I know this is a
fancy track and all,

but I think they oughta
open up the infield...

so normal folks can
come see the race.

You shouldn't have to be rich
to enjoy something like this.

Seabiscuit entered the race
a two-to-one underdog,

but you would never know it from
the growing noise in the infield.

Get your program.

By the time it was over, more
than 40 million Americans...

would hear the call.

Okay, it's... it's still
kinda soggy at the rail,

so try to keep him out of there.

There's a dry tractor tread about
five feet out off the fence.

I walked the track this morning.

Good. Good.

Now, he oughta break
just like we worked on.

But, there's one more thing.

What?

Let him catch me on
the backstretch?

You're not the only one
who knows this horse.

Safe trip, George.

And a short one. Let's go, Sam.

- Charley.
- George. Huh.

The two jockeys have
acknowledged each other.

It's a quick hello, like
boxers touching gloves.

Come on, George. This is
no time for small talk.

Both the horses are now
on the main 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 a neck behind.

They fly toward the clubhouse
turn. Who will be into it first?

It's Seabiscuit, and
he was there first

and driving for the backstretch.

Now, coming into the
backstretch, it's Seabiscuit.

Going down the backstretch.

Now, back him off, son.
Back him off. Back him off.

Come on back, George. Come
on, come on, come on.

Now on the backstretch,
Seabiscuit still with the lead.

Come on, Georgie.
Don't fool around.

I sure hope you're
right, Red. Here we go.

Easy, Pops.

Goddamn it, Johnny.

It's now War Admiral.
It's War Admiral.

It's Seabiscuit and
War Admiral, neck and

neck as they go down
the backstretch.

Close, Pops. Easy, Pops.

That's it. Whoo.

It's Seabiscuit. Now War Admiral.
Now Seabiscuit. Now War Admiral.

Not going now, Pops.

Do it.

Do it now. Come on, George.

- Turn him loose. Turn him loose.
- Do it now, George.

So long, Charley.

Hyah.

- Turn him loose.
- Here comes Seabiscuit.

It's Seabiscuit going away.

Come on, Biscuit.

Yes. Yes. Whoo. Yes.

Congratulations.

- Amazing.
- Congratulations.

Thank you.

Iceman, you did it.
How does it feel?

Well, I just wish
my good 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 our sponsor,
the American Oil Company.

Money can't buy a
finer motor oil...

Easy does it.

Watch it. Wa...
Watch those wheels.

All hail the conquering hero.

Yes, folks, he's back. The
little engine that could.

No more match races
for this little

pony because, quite frankly,

they're all outta matches.

Who's he gonna race? Pegasus? I
pity these other horses. Heh.

- When will they know?
- I don't know.

Maybe an hour. I'm not sure.
Charles is with the vet right now.

Does it hurt when he
bends it? Because

if it doesn't hurt
when he bends it...

We don't know anything yet.
I'll call you as soon as we do.

- I promise.
- All right.

He was running easy on me.
There was no warning.

He's gotta be all right.
He's gotta be all right.

Mr Howard.

Well, he ruptured
a whole ligament.

I put a splint on him just
to keep him immobilised,

but right now he's totally lame.

He's not gonna race again.

Look...

I know this is hard,

but I'll put him down for
you if you want me to.

Oh, that's okay, Pops.
I'll come to you.

Hey.

See,

first you gotta get a
little flexibility.

Yeah. Then you can
put weight on it.

Then once you start
to put weight on it,

the whole leg gets stronger.

I know. I know. I'm
in a hurry too, Pops.

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.

Oh. I'm not saying that's
what you should do.

I'm just saying
that's what they do.

Oh, 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,
Sam. 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.

Nice.

What?

Whoa.

Whoa, Pops. Easy.

Whoa.

Wow. Wow, Pops.

You feel better, don't you, boy?

It's okay, Sam. I'm just gonna
mow the lawn a little bit.

Fine with me, Red.

Way to go. All right.

Looking good. Yeah,
you're great, man.

Whoo.

- 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're
really gonna 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, George.
- You're welcome.

Coming along.

Could he be ready?

- For what?
- Come on. You know what.

Top of the morning to you.

That's... That's a
nice colt. Who is he?

Just a two-year-old.
He's not ready yet.

Ah.

I thought maybe you were getting a

horse ready for the
hundred grander.

- No.
- Just a two-year-old.

Hair of the dog.

- You been here long?
- No. Just got here.

Catching up on my reading.

Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon.

Okey-dokey.

Stop the presses.
Stop the presses.

This isn't a scoop, folks.

This is three scoops with hot
fudge and a cherry on top.

And throw in some nuts, because
this little horse drives me crazy.

Guess who may be working
six furlongs next Friday.

Guess who may be shooting
for the Big 'Cap.

Oh, my. Saints alive.

You guessed it. Man, oh, man.

Did you ever guess it.

A minute-12, minute-13.
Something like that.

He starts to labour,
just slow it down.

Try and see how he feels...
Oh, oh. Whoa, whoa.

Got you.

That's all right, Pops. That's
okay, boy. That's okay.

Come here. It's okay.

And this, the most
unkindest cut of all.

Red. Red, let me talk to you.

- Talk to me?
- You can't... Red.

You can't do it. You could be

crippled for the
rest of your life.

I was crippled for
the rest of my life.

I got better.

He made me better. Hell,
you made me better.

- Jesus Christ.
- Red...

And that's as much my
horse as it is yours.

- That's pretty quick.
- Goddamn it.

It's up to him, Red.

Yeah, but if he says
that I can't...

He's the doctor. It's up to him.

You made this?

Yeah.

It wraps around my riding boot,

fasten it all the way up the calf.

Right.

I barely feel anything
in the stirrups.

Look, it could shatter
at any moment,

even right now.
Forget about racing.

You see that right there?
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.

Well, hell, anything's possible.
We proved that already, didn't we?

- This is different.
- Yeah. This is really different.

It's not just a race.
It's the Santa Anita.

I had that race. I was there.

I know.

♪ If I had a million dollars ♪

What's going on?

Well, even... even with the
brace, it'll 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.
- Okay.

Mar, he could fall. He
could get trampled.

If he gets thrown
from that horse...

He could die?

You know, 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.

Jumping Jehoshaphat,
I could handle

one comeback, but
this is ridiculous.

Who's next... Lazarus?

Oh, the heroism, the
madness, the excitement.

The largest crowd ever to
see a race at Santa Anita.

Fifty-five thousand in the
stands, 20,000 in the infield,

and it's only 12:00.

It's not bad.

St. Christopher.

For luck.

A little late for that,
don't you think?

All right. Let's go win us a race.

- Ready?
- Yup.

Whichcee'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.

Now, he's got some guts,

- so look out for him too.
- Won't make that mistake again.

Relax, guys. It's gonna be fine.

Okay.

- Charles, it's gonna be great.
- Thank you, Frank.

- Hope so.
- Bless you.

- Good luck, Mr Howard.
- Thank you.

Good luck. You're looking good.

Well, I feel fine.

Relax. Buy you a
couple of drinks, huh?

That's a good idea.

Who you betting on?

Hey, old man.

- What are you doing here?
- Got another mount.

Just because 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.

Aaah.

Aaah.

Come on, boy.

Come on. Come on.

Hyah. Come on. Go.

- How you doing, Red?
- Georgie.

You guys all right?

There you go, boy.

There it is. Have a
nice ride, Johnny.

Come on, Pops. Ha. Ha.

Go on with it, Johnny. Go on.

Come on, Red.

Whoo-hoo. There it is, boy.

Come on, Biscuit.

You know, 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 ♪

♪ C.O.D ♪

♪ If I spent a million dollars ♪

♪ I know I would never care ♪

♪ Because as long
as you were 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 ♪