by Barbaraanne Helberg

Created on: February 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

The racing careers of Thoroughbreds Phar Lap and Seabiscuit had a number of parallels.

Movies were made as tributes to each horse because each was a hero in his respective country, Australia and the United States. Both gallant runners stirred a nation in a time of great economic depression.

Phar Lap's career ironically ended when he was brought to America to challenge the USA's best racers. On March 20, 1932 the big red Aussie bred in New Zealand won his only race run outside Australia, the Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana, Mexico. He ran brilliantly while suffering from a hoof injury and collected for his connections a $50,000 win purse. Less than a month later, before he had raced again, Phar Lap died in California from a mysterious illness. He was five years old.

Six years later, in 1938, the rising star Seabiscuit, a grandson of Man o' War, defeated a son of Man o' War, the mighty 1937 Triple Crown champion War Admiral. Although Seabiscuit was born with obvious promising bloodlines, Phar Lap's breeding was obvious only to his trainer, Harry Telford, who insisted the horse's distant ancestors were indicative of a winner.

Phar Lap and Seabiscuit were day and night in physical comparisons. The Aussie was a huge 17.1 hands high and a bright chestnut. Seabiscuit, a little bay fellow, stood just over 15 hands. Phar Lap's name came from the Thai word pharlap, meaning "emitting light from the sky". "Bobby" was the affectionate nickname assigned to him by Tommy Woodcock, his groom. Seabiscuit's name came from the Navy's hard biscuit served at sea. Red Pollard called Seabiscuit "Pops".

In the movie PHAR LAP, the life of the famous horse is told mainly through the eyes of the three men who were responsible for Big Red's fabulous career, 37 wins from 52 starts. It was his strapper (groom), however, who encouraged Phar Lap to run down his competition to win races. And it was young Tommy Woodcock who accompanied Phar Lap to America as his new trainer. Phar Lap died with his head in Woodcock's cradling arms. The strapper and Big Red remain today as Australian icons.

The movie made for Seabiscuit closely follows Laura Hillenbrand's beautifully written account of his life, SEABISCUIT: AN AMERICAN LEGEND. This remarkable story involves the meeting of three men down on their luck who came together to rescue Seabiscuit from obscurity. An ill-fated jockey separated from his family, John "Red" Pollard, is discovered by horse whisperer and miracle worker trainer Tom Smith, who had

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>