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 ♪