Man o’ War–racing’s greatest thoroughbred and “mostest hoss”

Coach is Right ^ | 4/30/14 | Doug Book

[Oldpuppymax]

In the spring of 1921, Texas oil baron William Waggoner offered thoroughbred breeder and racing veteran Samuel D. Riddle $500,000 for his peerless, 4 year old chestnut colt, Man o’ War. Riddle politely turned him down. When on the very next day the oil man raised his offer to $1 million, Riddle was said to have replied, “Mr Waggoner, many men can have a million dollars, but only one can have Man o’ War. I’m not interested in parting with him.”

Determined to own the greatest thoroughbred the racing world had ever known, an exasperated Waggoner exclaimed, “Come, Mr. Riddle, everything has its price.” A bit perturbed by the man who would not take no for an answer, Riddle offered the persistent Texan the following advice: “Go to France and bring back the sepulcher of Napoleon from Les Invalides, then to England and buy the Crown Jewels, then to India and buy the Taj Mahal – then I’ll put a price tag on Man o’ War.”

Foaled in 1917, Man o’ War was purchased by Riddle as a yearling for $5,000 (the equivalent of $78,000 in 2014) and taken to...

[Foundahardheadedwoman]

Wish I had posted that but didn’t. Have been to MOW grave though. You know they only bury the head and hoofs of great horses. MOW might have been an exception, I can’t remember.

[Jean S]

I agree with you about Secretariat but by the time that supreme horse was born nutrition and vet care for horses was much more advanced.
I would happily call it a tie between the two.

[Bratch]

Before you rate Secretariat as the “Second Coming,” remember that he was still be driven by his jockey, all the way thru the finish line although the race had been over at the far turn.

Are you certain?

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Belmont Stakes

Secretariat had made the covers of Newsweek, Time, and Sports Illustrated — all in the same week. Recognizing the colt’s greatness, he had electrified a world in anticipation of witnessing his next feat as he raced for the Triple Crown.

The morning of the Belmont, Secretariat was enthusiastic, rearing and bucking in the walking ring, rolling his eyes and ready to run. Only four horses were entered in the race to challenge him.

Secretariat and Sham both went after the lead at the start of the race and engaged in a six-furlong duel, clocked in 1:09-4/5, the fastest such time in Belmont history. The speed duel finished Sham, who came in last, was injured, and never raced gain.

With nothing left to challenge him but the longest dirt track in America, Secretariat ran like lightning, going the mile in 1:34 1/5 and the mile and a quarter in 1:59 flat, faster than his Derby time. And all this without urging from his jockey, Ron Turcotte, who said if he had used the whip, Secretariat would have kept running until next Friday. Secretariat won the race by setting an all-time record: he was 31 lengths in front of the challengers. For running the 1-1/2 miles in 2:24, he beat the track record by 2-3/5 seconds.

Heroically, Secretariat had won the Triple Crown, and raced into history one of the greatest champions of all time.

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[Bratch]

Link to above excerpt.

[the OlLine Rebel]

MOW was buried absolutely complete and whole.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Puppy is talking about ALL races. Not the single Belmont everyone harps on apparently not knowing about Sec’s others.

Secretariat was hand-ridden there. Not bad, but not held.

[Nepeta]

Also useful:

www.paulickreport.com

and

www.drf.com

I go directly to horsey sources. Even when the mainstream press still covered races, they made a lot of mistakes.

[Foundahardheadedwoman]

In the back of my mind I was thinking that he was but it was long ago that the manager of the farm took me around and showed me the grave I couldn’t be sure.

[Nepeta]

Man O'War was part of a foal crop of ~5,000.

Secretariat's crop was ~35,000, so he had a good deal more potential competition.

He was a splendid individual. I saw three of his races in person, and saw him at the farm several times.

Not only was Man O'War buried whole, but for several years prior to the opening of the Kentucky Horse Park, his remains were dug up from the Faraway Farm location and hidden for several years until they could be re-buried at the horse park.

[Oldpuppymax]

“MOW was buried absolutely complete and whole.”

Not only that, he was the first thoroughbred to be embalmed. He “lay in state” for several days that visitors might get a last look. Over 2000 people attended his funeral which was broadcast to a coast to coast radio audience.

When Man o’ War retired to stud in Kentucky, his groom Will Harbut kept a log for visitors to sign. Over 1.3 million people from around the world traveled to Kentucky to see the thoroughbred legend. An incredible tribute to a horse.

[the OlLine Rebel]

The foal crop theory is about the only thing Sec fans hold onto for dear life. It is a poor theory, especially after c.1880, when the breed stabilized.

[Nepeta]

The foal crop theory is about the only thing Sec fans hold onto for dear life. It is a poor theory, especially after c.1880, when the breed stabilized.

Stabilized?

You have noticed the emergence of the Northern Dancer type in contemporary TBs, yes? Northern Dancer was foaled in 1961.

[the OlLine Rebel]

The breed was pretty well established as a breed in its own right by then, instead of a mutt constantly breeding back to horses unknown and arabs and such. That is my main point; other being the breed - indeed, the horse species - cannot improve too much. It is a logarithmic curve, and once you stabilize you are pretty much near the asymptote. Species can only ever get so much better; it’s built-in limits by God. You will never see a horse go 80 mph. So the difference from 1920 to 1970 to 2010 in theory is negligible.

[Nepeta]

Take a look at European time records. The winning times for the Epsom Derby and Arc de Triomphe continue to fall, while American record times have mostly stagnated, or in the case of the Belmont Stakes, begun to slide towards slower.

American "training" methods are to blame.