Automobile Irony
Charles Howard made his fortune as an automobile dealer and distributor, introducing the new technology to the western United States and to California in particular. However the greatest tragedy of his life was the death of his 15-year-old son Frankie in an automobile accident.
Handicap Irony
As Seabiscuit became more successful winning handicap races, where faster horses are assigned extra weight to carry, impost managers in charge of various racetracks assigned Seabiscuit heavier and heavier weights to carry, increasing the risk of injury. Since Howard and Smith agreed that Seabiscuit should carry no more than 130 pounds, the horse was unable to race in races where his handicap was set higher. Many racetracks were therefore unable to capitalize on Seabiscuit's crowd appeal and draw when the impost was set too high.
Seabiscuit's Injury Irony
Smith and Howard routinely pulled Seabiscuit out of races when the ground was muddy, because the horse did not run well in mud and risked injury. They were also unwilling to race Seabiscuit if he was even slightly out of shape or suffering from a minor illness or injury. Because they "scratched" Seabiscuit out of so many races, and because Tom Smith accidentally started a rumor that all four of Seabiscuit's legs were broken, the public received the message that Seabiscuit was a fragile and frequently injured horse. Accordingly, when Seabiscuit really did injure his suspensory ligament, Tom Smith wasn't believed when he said so.
Pollard's Injury Irony
In order to earn a living, Pollard needed to race. But his repeatedly-broken leg was a major vulnerability. Nobody wanted to employ a jockey who was one bump away from a major accident that could kill him or cripple him for life. He was completely capable of racing: after Seabiscuit retired he went on to race for several more years. But he couldn't prove this without being given a chance to race.
Weight Irony
Jockeys need a lot of physical strength, balance, and mental acuity in order to race their horces. But in order to keep their weights low enough to race, jockeys frequently resorted to fasting or purging techniques that left them weakened, tired, and less mentally fit. The "safety" measures that required jockeys to be light ironically resulted in the men taking increased medical risks.
Media Irony
Seabiscuit was one of America's first sports celebrities, and his fame helped Howard set up match races that increased the horse's income and reputation. However the media scrutiny became so intense that it interfered with training, inspired impost managers to assign Seabiscuit a much higher weight than other horses, and hampered Seabiscuit's career.
