Seabiscuit
Rehabilitated horse, turned race horse. Seabiscuit is the main focus of the [true] story. He is breeding is not considered desirable, although his grand-sire is Man-O-War. He is considered a small horse at only fifteen and one half hands. He walks with a slight limp. Called “Pops” by Red, because he is th old race horse.
Johnny “Red” Pollard
Protagonist. Seabiscuit’s jockey. Considered to be a large jockey at 5’7” (most jockeys are 5’3”). Red’s temper is attributed to his childhood. His childhood was difficult, as his parents tuned him over to a horse trainer after the depression hit. In order to earn extra money, Red would box. This left him blind in one eye, thus making it even more difficult for him to see opponents. Red also suffered with weight issues as a result of being a “large” jockey. The film alludes that he suffered from both anorexia and bulimia as ways to “make weight.”
Charles Howard
Additional/Supporting Protagonists. Seabiscuit’s owner. Charles became a horse owner with his second wife Marcela, after losing his child (and first wife). At first Seabiscuit did not do well, but Charles and Tom were both insisting that he could be rehabilitated. Once Seabiscuit began to win their was a discussion of a match race between him and War Admiral. When asked about the match race between he states, “I don’t know what they are so afraid of. Our horse is too small, our jockey’s too big, our trainer too old and I’m to dumb to know the difference. You’d think they’d want to race us instead of running away.”
Tom Smith
Supporting Character/ Supporting Protagonists. Horse Trainer hired by Charles Howard and his (second) wife. He chooses the [unconventional] horse Seabiscuit as second horse for Charles and the stable. After trying with two other jockeys, he decides on Red to ride Seabiscuit.
Mr. and Mrs. Pollard
Red’s parents. They agreed to send him to live and work at a stable to pursue his dream of being a jockey. They agreed to the arrangement after the start of the Great Depression. (This was not an uncommon process during the Great Depression.)
Annie Howard
Charles Howard’s first wife and mother to his only child. The child died early in the story and appears to be the reason for the disillusionment.
Marcela Howard
Charles Howard’s second wife and the reason he became interested in horse racing.
War Admiral
Talked about as a large horse of 18 hands, in reality he was the smallest offspring of Man-O-War. He was reported at being between fifteen and one half and seventeen hands tall. Set to do a match race with Seabiscuit.
