Hillenbrand sets the scene and the tone for the book by describing the unlikely run in the second half of the 1930s that made the racehorse Seabiscuit a household name and a hero. Three people, she writes, came together from different backgrounds to offer their unique talents to create the Seabiscuit phenomenon. She provides some statistics and information to illustrate just how popular the racehorse was across America at that time. Seabiscuit was, in short, a “cultural icon” (xviii). 

This first chapter introduces the owner of Seabiscuit, Charles Howard, by explaining how he made his fortune as a young man. Howard is large in both stature and personality, someone who “had the feel of a gigantic onrushing machine” (3). In 1903, at age 26, he left New York for San Francisco, promising his wife he’d send for her soon. There he opened a small shop to repair bicycles, soon expanding his work to include automobiles. The automobile was new to the market and, at this stage, creating more problems than benefits. They were expensive, dirty, noisy, and prone to breaking down. 

As the industry was in its infancy, things like gas stations and repair shops were few and far between.