Where was Seabiscuit filmed?

The Pollard family was a well-off, well-to-do family with a large farm and home before the Great Depression hit. Mr. Pollard (Michael O'Neill) is an educated man who likes to read to his children. Before the family is at the table, Mr. and Mrs. Pollard watch their son ride a horse. Mr. Pollard wants to buy his son, John 'Red' Pollard, a horse, but the mother wants her son to earn the horse instead.

At the table is a clamor of the Pollard siblings, with each wanting their father to choose an author of their liking. Audiences can hear shouts of "Tennyson! Emerson! Longfellow!" Mr. Pollard tries to school the children, "Alright, quiet. Dickens." The children are overjoyed and start smiling. Mr. Pollard starts reading, "We never know how high we are." His son, young John' Red' Pollard (young Michael Angarano), interrupts, "Oh. I know that." His father looks at him expectantly. So Red continues, "We never know how high we are till we are called to rise."

The Pollard family home filming location of Seabiscuit is just off US 460 in Kentucky, to the west of Paris Pike. The farmlands are not open to visitors without prior permission. Getting here is relatively straightforward by following US 460 W. The farm is on the left.

In this scene, Tom Smith (portrayed by Chris Cooper) is seen guiding and discussing racehorses with Charles Howard (played by Jeff Bridges) and Marcela Zabala-Howard (Elizabeth Banks). The Howards want to purchase new racehorses to compete in the races, and they have hired Tom as the new trainer.

While pointing to some horses, Tom tells them, "It ain't just the speed. It's the heart. You want something that's not afraid to compete. Half these horses are just show ponies. You want something that's not gonna run from a fight." Howards asks Tom, "How do you find that?" Since they want a good quality horse with a fighting spirit, they keep searching.

Throughout the movie, there are scenes featuring the Saratoga Racetrack. The Seabiscuit production team decided to film the scenes at the original Saratoga Racetrack to retain authenticity. It opened in 1863 and featured in several songs, books, and movies. Getting to this racetrack is quite simple, owing to its incredible popularity. Most new jockeys and racehorses still practice at this track.

Hop onto bus number 875 and hop off at the Nelson Ave & Wright St stop. From this stop, the walk to the entrance of the racetrack is only 2 minutes.

In this scene, Seabiscuit the horse is a young colt. He is the son of Hard Tack, who was sired by the legendary horse Man O War. The movie's narrator talks about how Tom saw Seabiscuit walking, "The first time he saw Seabiscuit, the colt was walking through the fog at 5 am in the morning. Smith would say later that the horse looked right through him, as if to say, 'What the hell are you looking at? Who do you think you are?'"

Seabiscuit was relatively small for a horse and not tall, slender, and powerful like his sire. When Tom sees him for the first time, Seabiscuit is hurting and walking with a limp. The poor horse is also wheezing heavily. The narrator goes on to say that none of these things bothered Tom Smith at all. Tom kept looking straight into the eyes of the horse and saw the fire banked in them. Smith stares at Seabiscuit, shakes his head, and says, "G*d d**n!"

The Seabiscuit filming location chosen as the farm for the introduction to Seabiscuit the horse is the Calumet Farm in Kentucky. Calumet is on the Man O War Boulevard, with the farm famous for its racehorses. Getting here is quite straightforward via KY-4 to US-60 W/ Versailles Rd.

Seabiscuit, the horse, is quite unruly, angry, and wild. Tom hires John 'Red' Pollard (Tobey Maguire) as Seabiscuit's jockey since Seabiscuit calms down only for Red. Tom realizes that Seabiscuit has forgotten how to behave like a horse since all his training was always centered around letting other horses win and overtake him. Tom tells the Howards, "He's so beat up, it's hard to tell what he's like. I just can't help feeling like they got him so screwed up running in a circle, he's forgotten what he was born to do."

Red asks Tom, "How far do you want me to take him?" Tom says, "Till he stops." Red smiles and says, "Okay. That seems like a pretty good ride." Tom smiles back and replies, "Hope so!" Red takes off with Seabiscuit and says to the magnificent horse, "That's it, boy! You're alright. Let's see what you got."

This Seabiscuit film scene was shot at the stunning Xalapa Farm (Hill ‘n’ Dale) near Paris Pike in Kentucky. The farmlands are gorgeous with water bodies, verdant green fields, and clear skies. Visitors will need prior permission before entering to see the famous stone bridge and walk to the open areas. To get here, take US 460 East to N Middletown Rd, and follow the Common Rd till you reach Xalapa Farm.

Seabiscuit goes up against other prestigious racehorses like Special Agent, Indian Broom, and Rosemont. Tom gives plenty of practical advice to Red but warns him that Rosemont will fight Seabiscuit for the finish line right towards the end. Red nods his head and agrees with everything. However, Rosemont beats Seabiscuit to finish first in the race. When Tom questions Red about the race, Red Pollard screams, "I thought I had it! I couldn't see him! I can't see out there!"

Tom storms out toward Howard and says, "He lied to us! You want a jockey who lies to us? He can't see! He's blind in one eye." Howard smiles in understanding and says, "It's fine, Tom," and reminds Tom of his words, "You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little bit."

This is one of the most iconic Seabiscuit locations in the movie. Many of the races are shot at the Santa Anita Racetrack in California. In the film, even the first race Seabiscuit wins is at the Santa Anita Racetrack. Hop onto the 179 Arcadia L Line and get off at Huntington/ Centennial. If you walk for 3 minutes, you will reach the entrance to the racetracks.

In this scene, Charles Howard is standing at Union Station before announcing that they are heading to New York with Seabiscuit for the match race. He is surrounded by reporters, all throwing questions at him about the race Seabiscuit lost because of the jockey, Red Pollard.

Charles Howard tells the reporters he has a couple of announcements to make, "First, Red Pollard will remain Seabiscuit's jockey, now and forever. Second, if they're too scared to come and race us, we're gonna go find them. We're going to enter every race where War Admiral is on the card, and if he scratches, which he probably will, we'll enter the next race he's on the card. And we won't come home until we've faced him, win, lose, or draw." Charles shakes his head and looks at the reporters, saying, "You know, I'd rather have one horse like this than a hundred War Admirals. Thanks, fellas."

Most people felt this was one of the best scenes in Seabiscuit, apart from the exciting races. It shows Charles Howard's unwavering faith in his horse, trainer, and jockey. Getting to Los Angeles Union Station, where this scene was shot, is simple. Just hop onto any of the metros that halt at Union.