He was a battered racehorse that proved underdogs can finish first. Seabiscuit was the strong-willed equine that electrified the nation in 1940 by winning the Santa Anita Handicap. It was a victory that had twice eluded the small, but tenacious horse. In the summer of 2003, the Depression era legend came roaring back thanks to a best-selling book and a Hollywood blockbuster movie. The Seabiscuit phenomenon also transformed the depressed timber town where the thoroughbred lived out his final days. Willits, in Mendocino County is a hard-luck community trying for a comeback. That's not unlike the horse that's put it on the map. "Seabiscuit is running another race just for this town. It's exciting and we look at it as an opportunity for us to showcase our community to other people and the world," said Lynn Kennelly, executive director of the Willits chamber of Commerce.

On July 19th, 2003 it did seem as if the world had descended on the hamlet of five thousand as people lined up in front of the Willits' only movie theatre for the hometown premiere of "Seabiscuit," the movie based on Laura Hillenbrand's book. Willits was definitely caught up in all things Seabiscuit, from t-shirts to a commemorative wine. But nowhere is Seabiscuit's spirit more keenly felt than Ridgewood Ranch, a few miles south of the town of Willits. It's where Charles S. Howard, the multi-millionaire owner of the horse brought him to retire in splendor after his racing days were over. He spent an idyllic retirement at Ridgewood until his premature death at the tender age of 14 in 1947.

Jani Buron lived at the ranch while her father a ranch foreman. She's collected her treasured memories in a picture book she just published. " Seabiscuit would come over to the fence and let you pet him. He'd put his nose over the fence and let you visit with him. He was a gentle horse and he liked people," Buron remembers.

Tracy Livingston represents a small religious group that now owns the sprawling property. He enjoys taking a whole new crop of Seabiscuit pilgrims on limited walking tours of the ranch. It includes the Howard's 1905, craftsman-style house. He says fans can get pretty emotional when they see the fading red stables that once housed the world's most famous horse. "One person came into the stall and said he couldn't believe he was in the same stall that Seabiscuit called home and another visitor commented that seeing this ranch was better than seeing the White House.

The church is working with the Mendocino Land Trust to buy a conservation easement to protect the property from development. Efforts are underway to raise $6 million to permanently conserve and provide public access to Ridgewood because it's not only Seabiscuit's home, but also an important agricultural treasure. If you want to help, log onto www.MendocinoLandTrust.org or contact the Mendocino Land Trust, P.O. Box 1094, Mendocino, California 94560 (707) 962-0470.

If you want to get a Copy of Jani Buron's book, "Ridgewood Ranch, Home of Seabiscuit" visit Buron's website at: www.ridgewoodranchhomeofseabiscuit.com.