‘Seabiscuit’ Leaving Netflix in September

With September drawing near, Netflix is planning to release new content onto the streaming platform while simultaneously removing other titles. One such film that is leaving is Seabiscuit, the story of a “knobble-kneed” colt that becomes a champion during the Great Depression. The beloved horse racing film is only available until Sept. 30.

The streaming giant confirmed Seabiscuit’s upcoming departure with a press release detailing the September moves. Along with the horse racing film, 2012, Mortal Kombat, Jurassic Park and several other titles will no longer be available once the calendar turns to October. However, Netflix will replace them with a documentary focusing on legendary coaches across all sports. The Playbook will be available starting on Sept. 22.

The 2003 Maguire-helmed film found significant critical success. It earned seven nominations for Academy Awards — including Best Picture and Best Writing — and earned a “Certified Fresh” rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences had similar reactions, resulting in a 76% rating overall.

In the film, Maguire plays Red Pollard, a partially blind boxer-turned-jockey. Jeff Bridges stars as Charles Howard, an entrepreneur who owns Seabiscuit. Chris Cooper rounds out the main trio while playing horse trainer Tom Smith. The Seabiscuit cast also includes William H. Macy, Elizabeth Banks and real-life jockeys Gary Stevens and Chris McCarron.

The real-life 2-year-old colt found mixed success prior to Howard purchasing him, losing his first 17 races before achieving victory on the 18th. Seabiscuit ultimately raced 35 times in one year, winning five races and finishing second another seven times. Once the racehorse turned 3 years old, however, he began winning at an impressive level with Pollard serving as the jockey. Seabiscuit raced to victory at the Detroit Governor’s Handicap, the Scarsdale Handicap at old Empire City Racetrack, the Bay Bridge Handicap and the World’s Fair Handicap.

Following early victories, Seabiscuit set the stage for a showdown with War Admiral in the “Match of the Century.” The two horses faced off on Nov. 1, 1938, with Seabiscuit serving as the underdog. Jockey George Woolf rode “the Biscuit” to victory while replacing an injured Pollard.

Following a “rags to riches” story, Seabiscuit was named Horse of the Year in 1938. This honor capped off his 89-race career in which he finished as the all-time leading earner with $437,730 in purse money. Seabiscuit retired to Ridgewood Ranch in California after defeating War Admiral and remained extremely popular. More than 50,000 visitors visited Seabiscuit in the seven years before his death.