Seabiscuit Story Has Many Angles

Two footnotes to Bill Christine’s excellent analysis of the controversy over the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap: Could Kayak II have won that race if owner Charles Howard hadn’t declared to win with Seabiscuit?

1) In an article in The Times on Feb. 7, 1939, before Seabiscuit had been scratched from that year’s running, Times turf writer Oscar Otis revealed that trainer Tom Smith would “declare to win” with Seabiscuit, even though he planned to enter Kayak II as well. A win would put Seabiscuit ahead of Sun Beau’s money winning record, increasing his value at stud. Kayak II won the race, which Seabiscuit sat out because of an injury.

2) In a 1951 article for Blood-Horse magazine, Smith admitted to writer Robert Hebert that Kayak II could have won the 1940 race had Howard not declared to win with Seabiscuit, but that was in part because the ‘Biscuit ran the other horses into the ground, setting up the race for Kayak II’s stretch drive.

Ralph Shaffer

Pomona