Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Seabiscuit Snubs Boston

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » Film-Yak » Seabiscuit Snubs Boston

Author

Topic: Seabiscuit Snubs Boston

Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 07-26-2003 05:23 PM

I was dissapointed in this movie because it did not mention the local race track here in Boston. In the 1930's Suffolk Downs was one of the most modern tracks at the time and was a very important track to race at. I think it is a shame that they left any mention of it out.

-----
Suffolk pays homage to Seabiscuit

By Ron Indrisano, Globe Staff, 7/23/2003

ne day in 1937, when Gerard Oberle was 11 years old, his father asked him if he'd like to go to Suffolk Downs. His dad, George, an electrician, was going to Suffolk to watch the mighty Seabiscuit run in the Massachusetts Handicap, but what excited young Gerry, who lived in Jamaica Plain, was a chance to ride the trolley car.

''It was the first time my dad took me,'' said Oberle, who attended yesterday's unveiling of a plaque commemorating Seabiscuit's victory in the '37 MassCap.

''He asked me if I'd like to see some horses run. I said `Sure.' In those days, just to get on a trolley car was a treat. Dad came just for the MassCap. Gambling had nothing to do with it, he came to see Seabiscuit.

''I remember we took a trolley right up to the admission gate, you can still see the tracks curving down by the starting gate. The back of the track was beautiful. It looked like a park all the way down. The paddock was back there, and what is now the administration building had the jockeys' room on the top floor, and the racing secretary's office downstairs. I didn't know one horse from the other, but I loved looking at them. I spent the whole day going from the paddock to the track, and then back again.''

The date Gerard took the trolley to the track was Aug. 7, and Seabiscuit, ridden by Red Pollard, was backed down to even money and carried 130 pounds to victory in a then-track record time of 1 minute 49 seconds for a mile and one-eighth. The following day, Seabiscuit's triumph was the lead story on the front page of The Boston Sunday Globe. The banner headline, in capital letters, read: ''40,000 WATCH SEABISCUIT WIN.''

''I don't know how I did it with 40,000 people there, but I wiggled down to the finish line,'' recalled Oberle. ''I couldn't see any of the race until Seabiscuit crossed the finish line. I remember Red came back and waved his whip to the judges [signaling a clean race]. Then, he took his cap off and waved it to the crowd, and I could see his red hair. They put a big blanket of flowers over Seabiscuit, and Pollard reached down, put one flower between his teeth, and jumped off. He went over and gave it to a lady I assumed was his wife.''

There is currently a buzz around the legend of Seabiscuit because the movie, based on the bestselling book, is coming out Friday. There was an invitational screening in Boston Monday, and Suffolk officials were dismayed that the East Boston oval was not mentioned in the film.

''This is why we prefer the book to the movie,'' said Bob O'Malley, chief operating officer of Suffolk, just before he uncovered the plaque before a small but appreciative gathering, including Senate president Robert Travaglini.

The match race of Nov. 1, 1938, at Pimlico, in which Seabiscuit defeated 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral, is the focus of the movie. But Seabiscuit was entered to meet War Admiral in the MassCap of '38, on June 29, but he was scratched 40 minutes before post, nearly sparking a riot. The official reason Seabiscuit was scratched was a swollen right front foot, but the track was heavy that day, and Seabiscuit's connections had long avoided mud. Subsequently, Menow, a 10-1 shot, upset War Admiral, who was riding an 11-race winning streak but finished fourth at 2-5. Had the expected confrontation between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, which had attracted a record crowd of 66,000 to Suffolk, not fallen apart, there might have been no match race.

Oberle, who has lived in Revere, within sight of Suffolk, for 50 years, and who was a mutuel clerk at the track for 20 years, was there with his father for the '38 MassCap as well.

''There had been talk of War Admiral vs. Seabiscuit for weeks,'' he said. ''We thought we were going to see a historical moment. When they announced he was scratched, I thought they were going to tear the track down. They didn't tell the crowd why he was scratched. It was such a letdown. They booed and they screamed and they carried on.

''But I'm thankful that I saw Seabiscuit and I'm still here. One thing I've always had is a good memory. I never had much money, but I've got a lot of good memories.''

This story ran on page F10 of the Boston Globe on 7/23/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.