![]() Ligaroti was not finished, though, fighting back on the outside. As the two went around the far turn and advanced down the homestretch, Seabiscuit retained first place. Ligaroti held a slim lead before Seabiscuit took over, but his advantage was just as small as his opponent's had been. A true match race was unfolding before the Del Mar crowd. They stayed close together going into the first turn and down the backstretch as everyone watched. Each jockey wanted to take the early lead and control the pace, and Seabiscuit and Woolf had that luxury for a brief moment before Richardson guided Ligaroti to the front. They started off well, each one hustling out of the gate. Seabiscuit was closer to the inside part of the track a couple of stalls between him and the rail Ligaroti's slot was more in the middle of the main surface. Rather, two stalls separated Seabiscuit and Ligaroti before they began the race. The two horses did not start side by side. Crosby and Lin Howard were in a box seat, while Charles watched the event alongside comedian Joe E. Seabiscuit's saddle cloth simply read "A," while Ligaroti donned the cloth with the letter "B." As for weight, Seabiscuit was carrying 130. There were no numbers assigned either horse. Riding Ligaroti was Noel "Spec" Richardson. Woolf had ridden the Biscuit a few times before the match race, so he was quite familiar with the son of Hard Tack. In the irons for Seabiscuit was George "The Iceman" Woolf, regarded as one of the top riders of his era. The horses made their way on track for the post parade, both of them looking ready to compete. Seeing Seabiscuit in action was a treat in itself. There was no betting, but that didn't matter. 20,000 descended on Del Mar to see what would happen, and the race was broadcast on radio for those who could not witness it in person. People wanted to see the contest, and they wanted to see Seabiscuit. The prize was $25,000, the winner getting all of it. The fifth race on the day's program, Seabiscuit and Ligaroti were tasked with navigating 1 1/8 miles. Tom Smith, who conditioned Seabiscuit, did battle with his son Jimmy, who trained Ligaroti. The story goes from various accounts that the race was created from a conversation between the family members to see which horse could top the other, and Charles and Lin each made side bets amongst each other on their respective horses.įinally, the trainers of both horses were related, too. Obviously, the Howard family was guaranteed to win the match race, the only question being whether the father or the son would experience victory. Not only that, Ligaroti's other owner was Lin Howard, the son of Seabiscuit's owner, Charles S. The most popular horse in training was squaring off against the founder of the seaside plant who was also a hugely popular entertainer. Ligaroti was co-owned by crooner Bing Crosby, who happened to be the head of Del Mar. That made for some interesting matchups that were not limited to the two entrants. Moreover, only one horse was set to take him on: Ligaroti, who had been a win machine in his home country of Argentina before coming to the United States. It was discovered he would compete at Del Mar, but in an exhibition contest with no wagering. Having a horse like Seabiscuit immediately shifted attention to the nascent track, with the popular and plucky horse a bona fide box office attraction. Del Mar had opened the previous summer, and was looking to build on its inaugural racing season. The latest chapter of his saga took place at Del Mar, and with it came another match race.Ĭoming off a victory in the first Hollywood Gold Cup during the middle of July, Seabiscuit headed down to San Diego County. A couple of months before his showdown with War Admiral at Pimlico Race Course in 1938, Seabiscuit was in Southern California, where he had thrilled crowds with his rags-to-riches tale. Of course, that is with good reason, since it is undeniably one of the Biscuit's finest moments of his tremendous career.īut, that was not the only one-on-one contest Seabiscuit participated in. When one thinks of the name "Seabiscuit," and the term "match race," it is inevitable that the legendary horse's encounter with War Admiral comes to mind. California Horse Racing History-1938: Seabiscuit vs.
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