Seabiscuft Day

One lowering day last week, 20,000 racing fans surged through the gates of California's Santa Anita Park. Rain or shine, they had come to pay homage to a beloved little horse, eight-year-old Seabiscuit, returning to the scene of his greatest triumph after nine months at stud.

California railbirds like to think of the Kentucky-bred Biscuit as their own. They like to tell how the lazy little grandson of Man o' War, racing in the East as a two-year-old, failed to win a race in his first 18 starts. But after California's Charles S. Howard bought him (for $7,-$500) and put him in Trainer Tom Smith's care, the onetime selling plater finished out of the money only four times in 42 starts. Then, as the crowning achievement of a storybook career, the patched-up cripple, after a year's retirement, came back last March to win the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, won it in the record- breaking time of 2 min., 1 1/3 sec., and boosted his lifetime winnings to $437,730, highest in turf history.

For this fabulous feat, the owners of Santa Anita last week honored the Biscuit. From the lush meadows of Owner Howard's ranch, they coaxed the retired champion, father of seven and 80 pounds heavier than he was a year ago, to make a personal appearance. First he was to help unveil his own statue, a life-sized bronze by Cowboy Sculptor Tex Wheeler. Then he was to lead the parade to the post for the inaugural running of the Seabiscuit Handicap.

At a press preview, when he first saw himself in bronze, the Biscuit tried to take a bite out of Sculptor Wheeler's $25,000 job. But at the unveiling ceremony next day, Seabiscuit behaved with poise befitting a guest of honor. He listened to his encomiums, whinnied with nervous embarrassment while President Leigh Battson of the Los Angeles Turf Club read a poem written by Sportswriter Grantland Rice.

After the unveiling ceremony, the crowd dispersed to get their bets down for the first race--$10,000 worth. Then they waited for the bugle to call the horses to the track. They waited, and waited--ten minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 50 minutes. Finally the loudspeaker spoke: "The Los Angeles Turf Club wishes to announce that it is in no way responsible for the conditions existing today and therefore it is canceling today's program. A quarrel among the grooms of two stables . . . precipitated a strike of all grooms on the grounds."

Protesting against the discharge of one of their colleagues (after a knife fight few nights before), the track's 1,500 grooms had called a strike during the Seabiscuit unveiling, refused to lead the horses to the saddling paddock. Flabbergasted fans lined up at the betting windows and admission booths, got back their day's outlay, including parking and program fees.

Next day the discharged groom was reinstated -- pending a hearing before Chairman Jerry Giesler of the California Horse Racing Board--and racing went on again at Santa Anita. The striking grooms also demanded: 1) that they be allowed to keep their admission badges although discharged by a stable owner, 2) that they receive $10 for each winning horse they handle, 3) that they be permitted to watch the races from the grandstand.

Football pioneer since canvas-jacket days, Princeton last week announced that henceforth Tiger footballers will be numbered according to the positions they play. Wingbacks will be assigned numbers 11 to 19; blocking backs, numbers in the 20s; spinning backs, the 30s; tailbacks, the 40s; centres, the 50s; guards, the 60s; tackles, the 70s; ends, the 80s.

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