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Did MOW EVER defeat the rest of the field by 31 1/2 lengths in a race?

Secretariat did - and at 1 1/2 miles to boot [Belmont Stakes] !!!

Secretariat was a God ...

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. Mon o’ War was never ridden that way. In fact, Man o’ War was famous for galloping while other
horses were racing. NEVER was he driven thru the finish in order to set time records or defeat other horses by a greater margin.
All anyone really need look at is the stride of horses like Citation, Secretariat and Man o’ War. Sec.’s stride was 26’, Citation about the same. But Man o’ War had the longest stride in racing history at 28’. For every stride taken on the track, he gains 2’ on Secretariat and 4’ on the average thoroughbred.
By the way, of 21 races run, the same number as Man o’ War, Secretariat’s record was 16-3-1.

MOW also ran STAKES EVERY RACE, EXCEPT his maiden. Unbelievable, but neglected.

He basically set a record as a 3yo 75% of the time. Secretariat, 50%. IOW, while Sec ran a record (of some kind) every other time he ran that year, MOW set 3 records every 4 times he ran! No horse ever came close to that rate.

The horse was a shocker. I can’t get around it no matter how much I look into his history and the history of racing even back then.

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?

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.