Seabiscuit – A Book Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is a biography about one of America’s most legendary racehorses. Seabiscuit was one of the most popular horses and attractions in sports history, but his success was a shock to the racing world. No one had ever paid much attention to the horse with a downcast tail and bent, crooked legs. Then, three men who saw his potential changed his life.

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Charles Howard, who was a bicycle repairman, brought the automobile to the western United States, and became a millionaire overnight. Johnny (Red) Pollard, a half-blinded jockey, who had a burning passion for riding. And Tom Smith, the mysterious and unknown horse trainer. These three would eventually help Seabiscuit dominate the world of horse riding.

As soon as Smith set his eyes on Seabiscuit, he knew that the horse had extreme potential. He convinced Howard to buy Seabiscuit and then hired Red Pollard as his jockey. The years after that, the four went through unlucky fortune and injuries to transform Seabiscuit from a disobedient, mischievous horse, to one of the most massive sports icons the world would ever see.

I would rate Seabiscuit 10 out of 10. It was thrilling, sad, happy and exciting all at the same time and it was amazing! Laura Hillenbrand perfectly wrote the story of Seabiscuit and I couldn’t put the book down. I absolutely loved this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!