The Mostest Horse that Ever Was
March 28, 2017 10:39 PM   Subscribe

Today is the 100th anniversary of birth the Thoroughbred racehorse Man O’War

Big Red, who earned his nickname thanks to his polished-copper chestnut colour and good size (16.2 hands in height, where one hand equals four inches), has been listed at or near the top of pretty much every list of the best racehorses in America.

The offspring of Fair Play and Mahubah was sold at a yearling auction for the price of $5,000 to Samuel D. Riddle. His race record is 20 wins and one second out of 21 races. Ironically his only defeat was to a horse named Upset who beat him by a neck in the Sanford Memorial, likely due to a poor start. “Some reports stated Man o’ War was turned sideways or completely backwards when the race started and was left well behind the field.” It is said Man O’War had nightmares after his loss.

As a two-year-old, Man O’War raced seven times carrying a punishing 130 pounds, giving a significant weight advantage to his rivals. As a three-year-old, he once carried 138 pounds. (Today, three-year-old Kentucky Derby contenders carry 126 pounds if they’re colts or geldings. Upset ran the Sanford carrying 115 pounds.)

Unlike a lot of the other great all-time racehorses, Man O’War isn’t a Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes) winner. He didn’t run in the Derby, as his owner thought that making a three-year-old run on the first Saturday in May was too much to ask too early in the racing season. It wasn’t until Riddle had War Admiral (perhaps Man O’War’s best son) that he entered any of his horses in the Derby. Man O’War entered and won both the Preakness (defeating Derby winner Upset by a length-and-a-half, under a strong pull) and the Belmont (by 20 lengths). (One length equals eight feet.) His greatest margin of victory was estimated to be 100 lengths in race known as the Lawrence Realization.

Man O’War’s final race was held at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario. It was a match race with Sir Barton
(who was owned by Canadian J.K.L. Ross). It is said that the 1920 Kenilworth Park Gold Cup Handicap is the first race to be filmed in its entirety.

Man O’War held American records for the fastest mile, 1 1/8 miles, 1 3/8 miles, 1½ miles and 1 5/8 miles. He was named Champion 2-Year-Old Male in 1919, Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 1920 and Horse of the Year in 1920. His total earnings were $249,465.00.

Big Red is supposed to have had the longest stride ever measured (28 feet). The most recent Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is estimated to have a stride of 25.23 feet.

The horse rivaled humans like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey for the title of most popular athlete of the time. “Man o’ War became such a sensation that police officers and Pinkerton guards had to protect him at the tracks from souvenir hunters who routinely attempted to snatch the hairs from his mane and tail. His notoriety also attracted more significant danger, as Riddle became aware of multiple assassination plots against his great runner. Riddle went to great lengths to protect Man o’ War. Armed guards were always around his stall and even Feustel had personal security.”

Nearly as famous as the horse, was his groom Will Harbut (who often told visitors who stopped by Faraway Farms to see Big Red, “This is the mostest horse that ever was.” The pair was even depicted on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

Bloodstock agent Greg Harbut describes his great-grandfather like this: “It’s no secret the era he came up in was the Jim Crow era…He accomplished a lot during that era. You have to wonder what might have been if he’d come along in this current era. A hundred years later we’re still talking about him. I feel honored to be able to follow in the footsteps of my forefathers.” (In the link, Greg Harbut is posing with Lighthouse Bay (http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/lighthouse+bay) who is descended from Man O’War through the American Flag/Raise a Native bloodline. Tiznow, who was named Horse of the Year in 2000, is widely thought to be the best bet to pass along Man O’War’s genes to a new crop of champions.

Not only did Big Red excel as a racehorse, he became known as a strong sire. War Admiral (mentioned above) won the Triple Crown. Some of his other notable offspring included Hard Tack (who sired Seabiscuit), War Relic, Battleship (winner of the British Grand National Steeplechase), Blockade, War Hero, Crusader, and others.

As a stud, Man O’War resided at Faraway Farm, which has undergone restoration by its current owner who considers the horse’s stall door a special piece of history.

Visitors to Kentucky have the opportunity to see two exhibits dedicated to the champion: one at the Kentucky Derby Museum and one at the Keenleand Library.

Noted equine photographer Barbara Livingston has produced a series of photos commemorating the remnants of Man O’War that remain today.

For those who can’t make the trip, but want to see more of the great horse, there is footage of him at liberty (and under the guidance of Harbut) and a short documentary that covers his life.
posted by sardonyx (22 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
And just in case that has whetted anybody's appetite for modern racing and wants to see something current, I suggest this year's Dubai World Cup.
posted by sardonyx at 10:45 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


King of the Wind is one of the first novels I remember reading for school, and it opens with a description of the match race between Man O'War and Sir Barton. (Like many other girls, I went through a "horse phase" and went on to read the rest of Marguerite Henry's novels.) It clearly made a huge impression on me as I still remember it a few decades later!

Thanks for such a fascinating post, sardonyx - so much to dig into here!
posted by invokeuse at 11:41 PM on March 28, 2017 [7 favorites]


The horse rivaled humans like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey for the title of most popular athlete of the time.

I was just reading the other day that he (#84) and Secretariat (#35) are the non-humans on ESPN’s list: ‘Top 100 North American Athletes of the 20th Century.’
posted by LeLiLo at 11:51 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]


Great post!
posted by Literaryhero at 3:40 AM on March 29, 2017


LeLiLo, this time of year, Kentuckians here argue about the greatest KY athletes of all time, and of course they are thinking basketball. You can really throw a wrench into the argument by mentioning Muhammad Ali and Secretariat.
posted by Miss Cellania at 4:07 AM on March 29, 2017 [3 favorites]


> Visitors to Kentucky have the opportunity to see two exhibits dedicated to the champion: one at the Kentucky Derby Museum and one at the Keeneland Library.

And, of course, Big Red's grave is near the entrance of the Kentucky Horse Park.

> You can really throw a wrench into the argument by mentioning Muhammad Ali and Secretariat.

And Isaac Burns Murphy, too!
posted by magstheaxe at 5:47 AM on March 29, 2017 [1 favorite]


I feel the need to clarify something. Man O'War was foaled on March 29th. It was March 29th when I posted this--or at least it was in my timezone. I failed to remember that it wasn't in MetaFilter's timezone. Sorry.
posted by sardonyx at 7:51 AM on March 29, 2017 [2 favorites]


King of the Wind is one of the first novels I remember reading... race between Man O'War and Sir Barton.

This! I never went through a horse phase but for whatever reason that book got its hooks into me good. Seeing this post gave me a thrill, thanks for posting it.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:53 AM on March 29, 2017


Really wish Man O'War had lived later, if only so we would have better film of his races. That clip of Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont just effortlessly pulling away from the rest of the field never fails to give me shivers. Greatness at work.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:59 AM on March 29, 2017 [4 favorites]


Seriously, if you love watching Secretariat, take a look at the Dubai World Cup link I posted above. The winner doesn't dominate in quite the same style as the other Big Red (nothing ever will, I doubt), but it's a pretty impressive performance nevertheless.
posted by sardonyx at 8:49 AM on March 29, 2017 [1 favorite]


The fictional biography written by Walter Farley was one of my favorite books as a kid. I haven't thought about it in years. Thanks for reminding me. :D
posted by ZakDaddy at 9:09 AM on March 29, 2017 [3 favorites]


I was just about to mention the Walter Farley book! I bought a kindle version recently when the itch to reread it struck. It suffered from a lot more "ugh, girls" than I remembered, but still felt pretty magical.

Thanks for this post!
posted by erratic meatsack at 9:39 AM on March 29, 2017 [1 favorite]


Action Man (Youtube)
Widespread Panic
Willie said "he was the mostest horse"
Mahubah, Fair Play, desert mama's boy
Running in first, neither proud nor cursed
Carries the weight like a child takes to its toy

Side by side, souls of kind, different world
Hearts of gold, limbs of steel, Man-Of-War

Oh, place your bets boys, get out the gate in time
Burn the books, you ain't seen nothin' yet
Maybe back at that old Kentucky home
That it was luck, we'll catch him if we can

Fire inside, blaze of glory, space in time
Heart of gold, limbs of steel, Man-Of-War

Oh, Saratoga
Graveyard of favorites
Odds are more than one hundred
Oh, Willie said
Ooo, Saratoga

Nowhere, nowhere to run
War Admiral take the highest prize
Three hundred thirty-nine little children
Workin' the rail, never, never look back

Fire inside, blaze of glory, space in time
Heart of gold, limbs of steel, Man-Of-War

Side by side, souls of kind, different world
Heart of gold, bones of steel, Man-Of-War
posted by mikelieman at 10:05 AM on March 29, 2017 [1 favorite]


(Like many other girls, I went through a "horse phase" and went on to read the rest of Marguerite Henry's novels.)

as soon as i saw "Man O'War" i had intense flashbacks to reading marguerite henry novels as a young girl and now i kinda want to reread them all
posted by burgerrr at 10:07 AM on March 29, 2017 [3 favorites]


Awesome post!
posted by suelac at 10:09 AM on March 29, 2017


I typically try to stay out of threads I post, but here's one more link: a photo gallery from Blood Horse. It includes a number of racing photos.

All these posts mentioning Henry and Farley sound really familiar to me for some reason. I actually pulled a C. W. Anderson volume off my bookshelf as I was writing this. (The number of races run under heavy weight comes from Anderson. I saw a slightly different number online.)
posted by sardonyx at 10:16 AM on March 29, 2017


I haven't had a chance to look at everything in the post, but it is fascinating. My interest and involvement in horses has not included racing, except having known a few retired racing Thoroughbreds. With all of the available media, especially images and motion pictures, I can see why Man O'War's legend has such power. That and his remarkable descendants.

Thank you for this post!
posted by monopas at 10:36 AM on March 29, 2017


Fantastic post, I cannot thank you enough for the fascinating links. This made my day. (Another here who loved King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry - and I still have my childhood copy).
posted by annieb at 1:44 PM on March 29, 2017


And just in case that has whetted anybody's appetite for modern racing and wants to see something current, I suggest this year's Dubai World Cup.
posted by sardonyx


Thanks, sardonyx, that was amazing to watch.
posted by annieb at 1:51 PM on March 29, 2017


Great post.

I think every horse nut has a special place in their heart for Big Red. At the risk of being asked to leave the room in disgrace, I will put forth the opinion that Secretariat had more pleasing conformation. If there is a horse heaven, I hope to watch the match race between the two of them....

This caption and photo of the wasted tack in the Livingston link made me flinch:

One of the most interesting finds in the Jeffords' barn was this old tack room, complete with abandoned halters with pedigree names with sires like Count Fleet and Alsab. It was quietly thick with history (and a few more tangible things, like mice).

As a tack junkie, the idea of all that lovely leather going to waste just makes me sick, and as for the backstory behind the items, I can't believe that these halters weren't donated to one of the many museums commemorating the horse in history.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:51 PM on March 29, 2017 [2 favorites]


At the risk of being asked to leave the room in disgrace, I will put forth the opinion that Secretariat had more pleasing conformation

I'd agree. Man O'War was amazing, but his head was... not refined.
posted by TwoStride at 10:23 PM on March 29, 2017 [2 favorites]


The Horsetess With The Mostest?
posted by iffthen at 6:43 PM on March 30, 2017


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