SeaBiscuit

Motto: "You know, everybody thinks we found this broken-down horse and fixed him, but we didn't. He fixed us. Everyone of us. And I guess, in a way, we kind of fixed each other too." John (Red) Pollard

Vincent, I've seen seen the movie you told me about, Sea Biscuit (2003), just today, on the day when you left.

It is a very nice movie about a great horse, Sea Biscuit (1933-1947), the 1938 Horse of the Year (following the famous one-on-one match-up against War Admiral on November 1, 1938). It was directed by Gary Ross, with a great casting: Tobey Maguire star of Spider Man (as jokey Red Pollard), Jeff Bridges (Seabiscuit's owner, Charles Howard), Chris Cooper (Seabiscuit's trainer, Tom Smith) and Elisabeth Banks (as Marcela Howard).
You can read the Roger Ebert's review here (and another one here) and see some pictures here.
It is based on the book SeaBiscuit by Laura Hillenbrandt, a great read also. An interview with her is here.

Sea Biscuit was a hard-luck hero for Depression-era America being the first horse to top $400,000 in winnings. An unlikely winner with short legs, perpetually-bent knees, and an oddball gait, Seabiscuit became a national celebrity. In six years of triumphs and disasters, Seabiscuit compiled 33 wins, 15 second places, and 13 thirds in an incredible 89 races. You can hear the most important one's on radio and see some vintage photos on TIME.

Something I found about it:
"Initially dismissed as lazy, it took the understanding of trainer Tom Smith to bring out the best in Sea Biscuit - and create an American legend. He raced at a time when unemployment and poverty stalked the land, but his sheer will to win transformed him from mere horse to inspiration. He wasn't unbeatable, and at times it looked as though injuries might overwhelm him, but his fighting spirit saw him through, including spectacular wins over War Admiral at Pimlico and Kayak II at Santa Anita."
and
"In the spring of 1939 Red Pollard married his private duty nurse, Agnes Conlon, who cared for him after he shattered his leg. The two married at Charles Howard's ranch in Ridgewood, California. The movie unfortunately omitted Agnes, who did play a significant part in Pollard's recovery and return to the track. It was actually Agnes who hung the medal of Saint Christopher around Pollard's neck for good luck on the day of Seabiscuit's last race, not Charles Howard's wife. Agnes and Red had two children, a daughter born in 1940 and son born several years later."

Seabiscuit died May 18, 1947, at the age of 14.