As an avid thoroughbred racing fan, having been reared in Hot Springs, Arkansas, home of Oaklawn Racing & Gaming and the Arkansas Derby. I watched with wild enthusiasm the race season leading up to the Triple Crown. The stories leading up to the Belmont Stakes are nothing short of inspiring. And, as entrepreneurs, there is much we can learn from this race and the players.
- Jockey Victor Espinoza has attempted to win the Triple Crown not once, but twice before. The races leading up to the Belmont are hard run and hard earned.
- Bob Baffert, trainer of American Pharoah, had been to the Triple Crown three times and lost each time. This past year was his fourth attempt. Let’s face it, getting just one shot at the Triple Crown is rare enough, and being there three times and losing each time is heart wrenching.
- It has been 37 years since the Triple Crown was won by Affirmed in 1978.
- The third leg of the Triple Crown is the most demanding of the three races. It is a mile and half and the horses that are vying for the Triple Crown are not as fresh.
- Born in Mexico City, Victor Espinoza was the 11th of 12 children. He donates 10% of his winnings to cancer research and treatment center, City of Hope.
- Now, the horse! American Pharoah has a cropped tail, due to another horse allegedly biting it off. And, he has been admired for his warm, friendly demeanor with people—an unusual trait for horses of his caliber.
There is another horse story that has always been a favorite of mine, and it echoes aspects of this most recent horse story.
It was 1938, a year of monumental hardship and challenges, not unlike 2015. People were in need of inspiration, hope and light. In the news, among the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and European dictator Adolf Hitler, was a racehorse owned by an enterprising bicycle repairman-turned-automobile-magnet, trained by a misunderstood almost mute horse whisperer, ridden by a Shakespeare-quoting jockey.
Many of us know the story of Seabiscuit through Laura Hillenbrand’s book, “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” and “Seabiscuit,” the movie starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper.
I recently re-watched this movie, and was struck by the astounding similarities of those times to our current realities. I was also moved by the inherent messages and lessons in this true story. There are a few inspiring takeaways from Seabiscuit and American Pharoah’s stories which are relevant to us over 70 years later.
Unlikely champions can emerge in hard times
Seabiscuit had a thick body and stubby legs. He had been abused as a young horse and faced hardship at the hands of cruel men who labeled him as lazy and beat him to a pulp, emotionally and physically.
Red Pollard, the fledgling, half-blind jockey, left home at 15. He wandered around the country seeking experience as a jockey, and began moonlighting as a boxer.
Tom Smith, known as a “horse whisperer,” worked as a foreman at a cattle ranch before finding work as a horse trainer. Smith also took pride in healing horses, and believed in the importance of knowing a horse emotionally.
These three were the underdogs. They were virtually unknown, unappreciated, and unproven.
Then comes along Charles Howard. Howard was a successful entrepreneur who ran the Buick franchise in San Francisco. When Howard and his wife were at Saratoga Race Course, Howard’s wife bet him a drink that the small horse on the track (Seabiscuit) would lose. Seabiscuit won the race, and Howard bought him for $8,000.
All four of these characters emerge as heroes and unlikely champions. They pulled together for a common goal. They celebrated and leveraged their differences to fulfill their final objective.
The same can be true for each of us. We don’t know how strong we are until our muscles are tested. We don’t know the strength of our convictions until they too are stretched. We may not appreciate our idiosyncrosies until they bring new perspectives to light. There is no doubt in my mind that from the hard times we are facing today, unlikely heroes will emerge.
A safe place breeds growth and success
Many character in Seabiscuit’s story were wounded, deeply scarred from injuries of their past—another loss, another rejection, another whip.
Many of us have been there at one time or another. Each of us have experienced loss. We have been there when we were afraid we were going to fail. We have been there when we were afraid to take a risk. When we were afraid to stick our necks out and reveal what we don’t know, or in some cases, what we do know.
In the film “Seabiscuit,” Charles Howard creates a safe environment for his team. He encourages his emaciated jockey to eat. He encourages his wise trainer to follow his instincts. He welcomes and embraces the different perspectives and backgrounds of Red and Tom. By creating a safe place, the team members’ fears diminish, and their potential and loyalty thrive. Here is a man who, with kindness, respect and trust, encourages his people to succeed.
In our businesses and in our lives, we can replicate the same safe place that Charles Howard created for his team. We can offer unconditional support. We can provide an environment where risks are encouraged and successes or failures from these risks are rewarded. We can value differences of opinion, of approach, of experience and of personality.
“Safety” creates a freedom within us and between us, and through this freedom our most powerful ideas and talents are liberated.
Luck versus preparation meeting opportunity
A friend of mine, who recently found herself in a career transition, shared with me one of her favorite quotations: “Luck follows a prepared mind.” I love this. I am a believer that luck is, in fact, preparation meeting opportunity. It was not “luck” that Seabiscuit and American Pharoah were winning thoroughbreds. They worked and trained hard for their various races. They had devoted teams equally committed to doing great things. They took adversity and often hard luck and turned these into winning opportunities.
In the film “Seabiscuit,” Howard’s character states: “When the little guy doesn’t know or believe he is the little guy, he can do great things.” How true is that! Our limiting beliefs can hold us back, and our big dreams can propel us forward.
It is never ever too late to achieve your dreams
As LL Cool J would say: “Dreams don’t have deadlines.” And as I wrote in my second book, “Is This Seat Taken? It’s Never to Late to Find the Right Seat,” we can create the life we want at any stage. It is simply never too late, as long as we have breath. And Bob Baffert and Victor Espinoza are living examples of this.
Looks can be deceiving, and one cannot judge a book by its cover!
The horse with the stunted tale and misspelled name proves this point in spades.
The steady, committed hand wins the race
Victor Espinoza ranked #3 out of 1,266 jockeys, and had $7.11 million in earnings in 2015. His life did not start off grand, in fact it started off on a dairy farm in rural, Hildalgo, Mexico. And Bob Baffert, though ranked #2 out of 4,827 trainers and winning over $7.5 million in 2015 had never won the coveted Triple Crown. Yet, neither gave up. Despite achieving tremendous wealth, they continued to push, strive, learn and grow to ultimately grasp the figurative golden ring.
In closing, the thoughts that come to mind are the beautiful and well-known words offered by Theodore Roosevelt. They have inspired me for years, and I hope they will inspire my readers as well:
“It is not the critic who counts; nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat, and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
To this, we must aspire. We have the opportunity to create the lives we want and about which we dream. The only thing that can hold us back is our own mindset and self-talk. Let’s be the role models for our children and our grandchildren and make our lives and our worlds all that they can be. Seabiscuit and American Pharoah showed us the way. Let’s follow their examples!
And, when we need a boost of encouragement, a reminder that underdogs can finish first, and a renewed belief that an ounce of preparation can in fact create a pound of luck, watch the video below to see the actual amazing race of Seabiscuit winning against War Admiral. I think you will be as energized as the record breaking crowds were in 1939—and we can all use a bit of rags to riches inspiration these days!