Charles Howard

Short Biography

Automobile Sales Magnate, Thoroughbred Racehorse Proprietor. Owner of famed racehorse Seabiscuit. He was the first major seller of Buick cars in the Western U.S. in the early 1900s, becoming a millionaire as a result. After the death of his son Frankie in a truck crash in 1926, he turned away from vehicles as an obsession and found interest in horse racing instead. He purchased the horse Seabiscuit in 1936 and under trainer Tom Smith and jockey Johnny "Red" Pollard oversaw the horse in the Santa Anita Handicap in 1937 and '38, narrowly missing the win both occasions. Seabiscuit won the renowned match race against War Admiral at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course in late 1938. Upon Seabiscuit's injuries a few weeks later, Howard assisted in the horse's recuperation at Howard's Ridgewood Ranch near Willits in Mendicino County near the central coast of northern California. Upon the horse's recovery, Seabiscuit won the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap. Following the win, Howard retired Seabiscuit and brought the horse back to the ranch to live out the remainder of their days, Howard inviting guests and the public to view Seabiscuit in his new, permanent surroundings. Howard grew weak in time and was brokenhearted upon the death of his beloved horse in 1947. Howard died three years later of a heart attack. (bio by: Theologianthespian)