Bing Crosby, Seabiscuit, City Of Troy and why fortune always favours the brave

You will have learned from the countless descriptions of the course as being 'where the turf meets the surf' that Del Mar, the venue for last weekend's Breeders' Cup, was founded by legendary singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby, but most people are less familiar with one of the reasons behind its early popularity – a $25,000 match race between Seabiscuit and the highly regarded Argentinian runner Ligaroti, part-owned by Crosby.

Seabiscuit may be better known for his famous duel with Triple Crown winner War Admiral in 1938, but earlier that year he had been sent to California where a crowd of 22,000 people were treated to a thrilling finish. Seabiscuit, giving away lumps of weight, won by a nose following a lengthy inquiry into the type of rough riding that would probably prompt modern stewards to spontaneously combust. 

The race generated national interest and was still making headlines days later, with George Woolf, the rider of Seabiscuit, and Noel Richardson, the rider of Ligaroti, banned for their antics. The on-course announcer described the contest as being "as rough a race as I've ever seen in my whole life", and added: "They were hitting each other over the head with their whips and Richardson had Woolf in a leg-lock."