I have to admit that when "Seabiscuit" was first suggested to me as a title for the Sunday Book Club I was skeptical. C'mon, 300-plus pages devoted to a horse? Definitely not my cup of tea.

Hillenbrand

But my judgment was hasty, and journalist Laura Hillenbrand soon won me over with this intriguing tale of Thoroughbred racing in the 1930s and an underdog that somehow made it to the top.

Three strong characters dominate this story and Hillenbrand makes them all come alive for her readers. The first is Charles Howard, a millionaire who made his fortune in the fledgling automobile industry of the early 20th century.

Howard's life alone is an amazing success story. He arrived in San Francisco virtually penniless, and by taking some daring, but wise risks he managed to turn 21 cents into millions by cashing in on America's growing fascination with automobiles through his various General Motors dealerships.

The death of Howard's son in a car accident somewhat soured his love of automobiles and led him back toward his first love: horses. A former cavalryman, Howard began buying racehorses, running them in various low-stakes races but never really making a name for himself. But Howard's foray into Thoroughbred racing took a turn for the better around 1934, when he hired an experienced trainer named Tom Smith.

Besides the book's hero, the horse Seabiscuit, Smith is perhaps the most interesting character in the book. Hillenbrand writes that although Smith had had his share of tough times -- it was the Great Depression, after all -- his eccentricities masked a man whose talent with horses would become the stuff of legends.

"In his course from meadows and rangeland to back roads and bullrings," Hillenbrand writes, "Tom Smith had cultivated an almost mystical communion with horses. He knew their minds and how to sway them. He knew their bodies and how they telegraphed emotion and sensation, and his hands were a tonic for their pains. ... Smith was a radical departure from conventional trainers. He followed no formulas, no regimens, no superstitious rituals. The wisdom he harbored was frontier-tested. He approached each horse as a distinct individual and followed his own lights and experience to care for it. Horses blossomed in his care."

In 1936, at Smith's insistence, Howard purchased a misbehaved, shabby wreck of a horse named Seabiscuit for the rock-bottom price of $8,000. Smith had decided that Seabiscuit was simply mistreated and misunderstood, and with patience and the right jockey, the horse could become a champion.

All that remained to complete this legendary team was someone to fill that jockey slot, and Smith found the perfect candidate in Red Pollard. Like Smith, Pollard had a long stretch of bad luck and disappointments, but he understood horses as individuals and had the ability to handle a difficult horse like Seabiscuit.

Hillenbrand carefully documents Seabiscuit's rise to the top of Thoroughbred racing, narrating in detail his triumphant wins and by-a-nose losses. She also does a good job of describing how hugely popular the sport became during the desolate years of the Great Depression, as well as the difficult and dangerous lives of professional jockeys and the impact of racing fans.

Of course, Seabiscuit's racing record is a matter of history; but to those unfamiliar with the background of the sport (like myself) every race Hillenbrand narrates carries a certain amount of suspense. Each time the team began to enjoy a little success, Lady Luck would intervene. Sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder. But I won't spoil it for you ....

To contact staff writer Regina C. Davis, use e-mail or call 348-7936.