Did Seabiscuit have the X Factor heart?

Answer 1

The X Factor is a gene passed down by the dam (mare) that gives the recipient horse an extraordinarly large heart. Traced by to a Thorourbred mare named Eclipse, foaled in the late 1700's, the X Factor can now be traced from this one mare to three different breeds, Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse-Standardbred.

Discovered during the autopsy of the great Secretariat, it can now be detected by MRI's of living horses. Man O War, War Admiral, John Henry, Seabiscuit, Ruffian and many other outstanding race horses are now suspected of this 'enlarged heart' gene, and all can trace their pedigrees back to the mare Eclipse.

In the 2003 movie Seabiscuit Red Pollard said to fellow jockey George Wolfe, the speed is not in his feet, it's in his heart. Pollard didn't know about the X Factor but he was right on where Seabiscuit was concerned. It was in his heart.