<P> Sent to race on the East Coast, on October 16, 1938, Seabiscuit ran second by two lengths in the Laurel Stakes to the filly Jacola, who set a new Laurel Park Racecourse record of 1: 37.00 for one mile . </P> <P> William Nack, Sports Illustrated, November 29, 1999 </P> <P> On November 1, 1938, Seabiscuit met War Admiral and jockey Charles Kurtsinger in what was dubbed the "Match of the Century ." The event was run over 1 ⁄ miles (1.9 km) at Pimlico Race Course . From the grandstands to the infield, the track was jammed with fans . Trains were run from all over the country to bring fans to the race, and the estimated 40,000 at the track were joined by 40 million listening on the radio . War Admiral was the favorite (1--4 with most bookmakers) and a nearly unanimous selection of the writers and tipsters, excluding a California contingent . </P> <P> Head - to - head races favor fast starters, and War Admiral's speed from the gate was well known . Seabiscuit, on the other hand, was a pace stalker, skilled at holding with the pack before pulling ahead with late acceleration . From the scheduled walk - up start, few gave him a chance to lead War Admiral into the first turn . Smith knew these things and trained Seabiscuit to run against this type, using a starting bell and a whip to give the horse a Pavlovian burst of speed from the start . </P>

Who ride war admiral in the movie seabiscuit