John "Red" Pollard
Horse Racing Athlete- Special Legends Class of 2025
Born and raised in Edmonton, John “Red” Pollard was passionate about sports, particularly boxing, but his greatest joy came from his horse, Forest Dawn. To help support his family, he delivered groceries with his toboggan hitched to the little horse. His striking red hair earned him the nickname that stayed with him for life.
In his early teens, Pollard dreamed of becoming a jockey. At just fifteen, he left home under the care of a guardian to pursue that dream, but within a year he was on his own after being abandoned at a makeshift racetrack in Butte, Montana. Pollard spent the next few years scraping by, talking his way into rides at the lowest-level tracks. He barely earned enough to eat and often slept in horse stalls.
One morning at a crowded track, an accident left him blinded in his right eye, robbing him of depth perception. Fearing his career would end if track officials found out, he kept the injury hidden. Despite the setback, he rode throughout Western Canada in the summer, California in the fall and spring, and Tijuana in the winter.
In 1927, trainer Russ McGirr noticed Pollard’s gift for handling troubled horses. He treated his mounts with gentleness, using patience instead of the whip, and the horses responded. That quiet understanding set the stage for the most famous partnership of his career.
In 1936, at the Detroit Fair Grounds, Pollard met trainer Tom Smith and was introduced to a strong-willed, unpredictable thoroughbred named Seabiscuit. Offering the horse a sugar cube, Pollard was rewarded with an affectionate nudge on the shoulder. It was the beginning of a legendary bond.
Pollard rode Seabiscuit 30 times, collecting 18 victories together. The highlight came in 1940, when he guided the seven-year-old champion to victory in the Santa Anita Handicap—one of horse racing’s most iconic moments.
Though injuries plagued his career and eventually returned him to the small tracks where he had started, Pollard left an enduring mark on horse racing. He was a founding member of the Jockeys’ Guild, and his achievements were later recognized with induction into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1968 and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1982.
