Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Bob's Bits....news from Bob "Hollywood" Heyden

January 12, 2005

November 1-1938-Pimlico
Seabiscuit-War Admiral Match Race
From Someone Who Was THERE!!

It is now on the big screen, and firmly into the annals of horse racing lore. Seabiscuit--his amazing career overcoming adversity at every corner and fighting back time and again-at a time when the nation was suffering the most. The crowning point of his rags-to-riches story was no doubt his Match Race on the first of November in 1938, at Pimlico Race Course.

War Admiral

Took on Seabiscuit and lost in their
famed match race on November 1, 1938.

How would you like to HEAR about it from someone who was THERE-at the rail-on that day? Well, Joe Anderson, now 85 and retired in Florida, WAS there. He was just 18 at the time. Joe is a lifelong horseracing participant-a hotwalker, a bug boy, a trainer, a racing official for many many years. Personally-I had the pleasure of working alongside Joe until his retirement some six years ago. But Joe's memory is a good or better than ever-and he not only remembers that day-he points out a few discrepancies from the big screen version.

"Back in those days, fans came out to see the horses run," Joe recalled. "They were fans-big time. There must have been 60-70,000 people there that day. We lived in the area-about 40 miles from the track-and it usually took an hour and a half to get to the track. That day it was three hours or more to get in. End to end people."

Seabiscuit

The little horse that could, and
did defeat the mighty War Admiral.

"My father took me that day. We stayed around the 70 yard pole. The first thing I remember-and after having seen the movie-was that they had it wrong about the starting bell. In the movie, they started the race with a Firemans Bell. But it was actually a big alarm clock-I know because I had seen Seabiscuit train with it-and saw it that day. They trained him for the match race with it-as soon as Seabiscuit heard the alarm clock-he took off. In the match race, he got the jump on War Admiral by a length and half right out of the gate because he was so used to it."

"War Admiral had a history of being a rough horse at the start of a race--a bad gate horse," Joe said. I had seen him race a number of times. In the match race, it was a walk up start-but the races prior to that, he had caused a lot of problems at the start. He did NOT want to load in the gate. In those days, they gave you about 2-3 minutes-no more-if you needed longer than that and caused a stir at the gate, they would automatically assign you the far outside post and you started one length behind the field. I remember one race where they did that to him-but he was so quick at the start-he had the field cleared in the first turn anyway."

Man O'War
Man o' War

All in the family...
Man O'War is the sire of War Admiral
and grandsire of Seabiscuit.

Joe continued on with his vivid recollection, "I would say that the movie got it 99% right-and I enjoyed watching it very much. But one other thing I'd mention-the starting gate. In the movie they showed the swinging gate at the start. The ones they use today where the assistant starters swing it open to start the race. Back then, they didn't have those yet. They had a similar starting gate to the ones they use today, but not the fence that swings in front of it. "

"I'll never forget the match race as long as I live. The two of them battled head to head for most of the race, then as they straightened out turning for home, Sea Biscuit opened up 3-4 lengths on War Admiral. It is as clear in my mind today as the day I saw it happen right in front of me"

Web Editor's Note: While the Odds On Racing's site is devoted to the sport of harness racing, we are also lovers of all types of horses and horses in sports. Therefore, we felt it appropriate to spotlight one of thoroughbred racing's all time greatest pedigrees. We hope you find Bob's interview as forthcoming as we did...KR