Man o' War

       Another one of the most famous racehorses of all time was the sire of Seabiscuits rival War Admiral, the famed Man o' War. Man o' War's career was just after WWI, he won 20 of 21 races, and his total earnings were $249,465. Man o' War was owned and bred by August Belmont Jr, whose father's accomplishments led to the naming of the Belmont Stakes. Belmont Jr served in France during WWI, and while he was away the foal was born. His wife named the foal Man o' War in honor of her husband being away at war. When he returned, they sold the foal at auction for $5000 to Samuel D. Riddle. In his first race, he made an impressive start, winning by 6 lengths.
       His only loss can be blamed on the fact that in the early 1900's, there were no starting gates. The horses would all circle behind a piece of webbing, and would take off when it was raised. At the Sanford Memorial Stakes, Man o War was circling back when the piece of webbing was raised, so by the time he was turned around to take off, he was already far behind the rest. Despite this however, and being boxed in, Man o' War came in second, losing by only 1/2 a length.
       Man o' War as a two year old carried 130 pounds in his races, more than colts at that age-or any age-often carry. As a three year old, he carried as much as 138 pounds, more than most of the horses he was racing against by 32 pounds.
       That May, Man o' War did not run in the Kentucky Derby because his owner thought a 1 1/4 miles was still to long for a young horse. At that time the Triple Crown was still not very prominent, it became a nationwide sprorting event ten years later when the media called attention to Gallant Fox. Man o' War set the records for the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1920. Sir Barton had been the first Triple Crown winner, and had originally set the records Man o' War was now shattering.
       By the end of the year, no one wanted to go up against Man o' War, who was easily winning every race he entered in thus far, besides his loss due to the lack of starting gates. In the Lawrence Realization Stakes, no one wanted to go up against him, until Sarah Jeffords-Riddle's niece-entered her horse Hoodwink. Man o' War won by an astounding 100 lengths, and set a world record, beating the previous record by 6 seconds. This record still stands today as a track record for 1 5/8 miles.

       Man o' War's most famous race was a match race in Ontario, Canada, against the first-ever Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton. This was the first race that had ever been filmed in it's entirety. Man o' War showed incredible superiority to his competitor, slowing to win the 1 1/4 mile race by seven lengths. In his career of 21 starts he won 20, set three world records, two American records, and three track records.
       Man o' War was a huge horse early in horse racing, just as the sport was beginning to become popular. In a sense he kicked off horse racing, he was the first horse the nation actually was showing interest in, and got many people interested in the sport. In 1957, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In the Blood Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th century, Man o' War was ranked number one. This horse is in a sense what gave horse racing it's launch in terms of popularity in the U.S., making it a sport the nation could become involved in and appreciate.

Ruffian: Racing's Greatest Filly

       Perhaps the most famous filly in horse racing was the legen, Ruffian. The little girl gave her everything every time she got onto the track, and in one of racing's most successful decades-the 70's-she captured the hearts of the nation. She is recorded as undefeated, and no other fillies stood a chance against her. She won races by as much as 15 lengths, flying past all competitnion. In 1976, she was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. She is ranked #35 on the top 100 thoroughbred champions for the 20th century, the highest rated filly on the rankings. By virtue of this ranking, she holds the title "Filly of the Century," and Sports Illustrated even featured her on their list of 100 greatest female athletes of the century, ranking her #53, the only non-human on the list. The trainer of Secretariat even once stated, "With God as my witness, she may be even better than Secretariat." This filly swept the nation like so many other horses of the century, however unlike her predecessors, she was a little girl.
       Ruffian was a coal black filly, standing 17.5 hands high. She was born at Claireborne Farm, near Paris, Kentucky. Her grandfather was another racing legend, Bold Ruler, and Secretariat's sire. She earned the nickname "Queen of Fillies," after her  Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Filly in 1974, and winning the Filly Triple Crown in 1975. If Ruffian didn't set her own recrods in stakes races or at tracks, she alawys met them. All but one of her recrods stand unbeaten today, the exception being Rachel Alexandra in 2009, beating her time by a second in the Mother Goose Stakes.
       Ruffian's most famous race of all time was her match race-a race with two horses-against Foolish Pleasure, one of the top three colts of his time and that years Kentucky Derby Winner. The race was held at Belmont Park on July 6, 1975. They had previously shared the same jockey, Jacinto Vasquez, however he chose to ride Ruffian that day, believing her to be the better of the two horses. This "equine battle of the sexes," was eagerly viewed by the nation, with 50,000 spectators and an estimated 18 million tuning in on the television. At the start, the two horses flew out of the starting gate, and about a furlong in, Ruffian was in lead by a nose. She had the lead by half a length, when both sesamoid bones in her right foreleg snapped. Vasquez tried to pull her up, but the filly refused to stop, she kept running, pulverizing her sesamoids, tearing the skin off of her fetlock, and tearing her ligaments until her hoof was flopping uselessly. Vasquez said that try as he would, the filly refused to stop running, she wanted to finish the race.
       Immediately after the race she was attended to by veterinarians, and went into an emergency operation lasting 3 hours. When the anesthesia wore off, she began thrashing wildly in the padded stall, as if she were trying to run. Her legs thrashing as they were, she shattered her elbow, and causing her foreleg to become ripped open again, undoing everything they had fixed in surgery. Shortly after, she was euthanized, the medical team agreed she would be unable to survive more extensive surgery.
       Many concede that Ruffian would have won the match race that day, even the owner of Foolish Pleasure. Once Ruffian had the lead, she refused to let anyone take it from her. After her breakdown however, it led to a public outcry for more humane treatment of racehorses. It is natural and expected for horses to thrash when they come out of anesthesia, so after the protests after her death, a "recovery pool" was developed for horses coming out of anesthesia, so awoke suspended in warm water and unable to hurt themselves. Extensive pain medications and inflammation came into use, and while this was good in short term, it was a downside at the racetrack because now many horses were being raced, still injured. Her death caused arguments within the sport about causes of why their bones are becoming too delicate as results of inbreeding, racing too young, and racing while injured.
       Ruffian's legacy as the greatest racing filly carries on today, and while her death was a detriment to the entire nation, her death also led to the public outcry for the more humane treatment of racehorses, and caused those involved in the sport to question ways to make the sport safer for the horses. She is a filly that will not be forgotten, and those who know of her story know what a truly amazing athlete she was.

Secretariat

       Quite possibly the most famous racehorse of all time-and definitely the fastest-was Secretariat. Born on March 30, 1970, at Meadow Stud in Doswell, VA, the chestnut colt would soon capture the attention of the entire nation. From breaking his maiden eleven days after his first start, he would soon go on a racing rampage, shattering track records left and right, and creating world records of his own. Secretariat was the son of Bold Ruler, the top sire of his generation, and Somethingroyal, whose bloodlines were top-notch. Unlike Seabiscuit, Secretariat looked like a real racehorse, he was huge, and his chest and hindquarters were incredibly muscular. He went through no underdog phase, rather he simply exploded into the racing world, taking it under his wings that flew him across the tracks.
       It had been 25 years since a Triple Crown had been won, and the nation was wondering if Secretariat was up for the grueling test. So far, he had shown speed, but stamina had not been tested. His biggest rival for the Triple Crown was Sham, whose stamina had already been proven. Penny Chenery-Secretariat's owner-decided Secretariat was up for the challenge, and he was entered in the Kentucky Derby. He lost a race to Sham just two weeks before the Derby, in a race 1/4 of a mile shorter, and some thought he had reached his limit. Later an abscess was found under his lip, which broke just before the Derby. Many wondered if it could have been the reason he had lost that day, others thought it was an excuse, and he would still lose the Derby to Sham. With the race right on the horizon, the nation could only wait and see.
       Sham was in the lead in the final turn of the Derby, leaving others in his dust, and many thought the race was over. But Secretariat caught him on the last stretch, flying past the other horses, and beating Sham by 2 1/2 lengths. He finished in 1:59 2/5, the fastest Derby yet, and the only one to crack 2 minutes.
       The Preakness had a similar ending. Once again, Secretariat went from last to first on the final turn, and beat Sham once more by 2 1/2 lengths. Now the big question was approaching: would Secretariat be able to stand the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes? Secretariat had proven some stamina, but Sham had been finishing right along behind him, and the nation was hoping that Secretariat could once again pull off his amazing final speed and beat Sham in the Belmont and win the Triple Crown.
       On June 9, 1973, Secretariat and Sham took off and held the lead in the Belmont Stakes. Viewers were shocked to see Turcotte-Secretariat's jockey-pushing Secretariat to the front, something they never did. The two horses were neck and neck, pushing each other faster and faster. On the backstretch, still with a ways to go, Turcotte let Secretariat loose, and he made the biggest move ever seen in Triple Crown history. Secretariat was running on his own into the final turn, 25 lengths in front. The racing camera watching couldn't even keep the two horses in the same fram Secretariat was so far in front. He finished in 2:24, the fastest time ever recorded for a 1 1/2 mile dirt track, a world record some say may never be broken. What was even more astonishing was his 31-length win, leaving Sham and his other competitors far behind.
       In Secretariat's relatively short career of only 16 months, his total career earnings were $1,316,808. He sired many future champions, but none lived up to his famed speed and stamina. Even after he was finished racing, many Americans continue to adore this horse, and still to this day he has many adoring fans. "It's hard to believe after all these years," Penney Chenery said, "but hardly a day goes by that I don't get mail about Secretariat." Secretariat won back-to-back horse of the year awards, dominated headlines, and shattered track records. In the racing world, he is a horse that will never be forgotten.

Source:
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016464.html

Seabiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand

       One of my favorite books of all time is a book about what I like to think of as "The Little Horse that Could," Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit is quite possibly tied with Secretariat as the most famous racehorse of all time. A small, crooked legged muddy brown horse who hardly won any races early in his career, no one thought he was worth a dime. Except for his trainer, Tom Smith, who saw a spark in the little horse's eye the first time he saw him. With owner Charles Howard, they presented one of the fastest horses America would ever see, and quite possibly their favorite.
       I read from this book pages 265-275, chapter 19, called The Second Civil War. This summarizes the most famous match race of all time, Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral.
       "People who never saw a horse race in their entire lives are taking sides. If the issue were deferred another week, there would be a Civil War between the War Admiral Americans and the Seabiscuit Americans," (Hillenbrand 259). On November 1, 1938 at Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland, one of the most suspenseful races in history was held between the two most famous racehorses of their time. Seabiscuit was the underdog, a little horse that arose out of nothing. War Admiral was the perfect racehorse, huge, and fast, a Triple Crown winner. A match race was finally scheduled to see which of the horses was faster. The race was to be 1 3/16 miles, a race to test stamina as well as speed. The race was scheduled for four in the afternoon, and by ten in the morning fans were about to burst through the doors at the track. Thousands filled the grandstands and clubhouse, and even more were redirected to the infield of the track. People stood on roofs,climbed fences and cars a mile out from the track, hoping to catch a glimpse of the race.
       Seabiscuits regular jockey had been injured in a riding accident and could not ride his horse in this race, so Smith and Howard substitued Red Pollard with George Woolf, one of the most famous jockeys of all time. Woolf had ridden Seabiscuit in a few races prior to the match race, and had had lots of training time, but he didn't know the horse like Pollard did, whereas War Admiral had his consistent jockey Charley Kurtsinger.
       The horses took off from the line at the exact instant, flying off the line at breakneck speed. Seabiscuit took the lead early and the horses settled in to see which horse would break. Prior to the race many had come to the conclusion that this was not going to be a win by a nose, one of the horses would break and fall behind in the homestretch as the other kept pushing. Kurtsinger stuck War Admiral right on Seabiscuit's tail, waiting for the little horse to lose steam. On the backstretch, Kurtsinger gave the huge horse his head and sailed up to attempt to get a lead on Seabiscuit, but the little horse wouldn't give in, pushing his nose up farther and farther, not letting War Admiral take the lead just yet. The horses were hurtling down the track, their strides matched, each 21 feet in length. But they continued to accelerate. As they approached the homestretch, Woolf glanced at War Admiral, and saw the horse's eye roll as if he were in agony. Then his tongue shot out the side of his mouth. Woolf knew it was over. "'So long, Charley,'" Woolf coined a catch phrase that jockeys would use for decades," (Hillenbrand 273). Seabiscuit surged forward, winning the race by four lengths and running easy.
       The crowd was going wild, pouring onto the track behind Seabiscuit, screaming and clapping as the little horse came back to greet them. The most famous match race of all time, one that would be remembered by all who lived in America at the time, and a story that would go down in racing history never to be forgotten, was won by Seabiscuit, the underdog that was giving hope to America in the heart of the Great Depression, letting people know that even those who had a rough start could come out of their holes and become one of the most famous figures in America of their time.
       This is one of my favorite chapters in this book simply because of the obvious suspense that many felt as they watched the race take place. The entire country was absorbed in this race, whether or not they were racing fans themselves. I find it interesting how many looked to Seabiscuit as a figure of hope in this time period, watching as he rose to become one of the most famous racehorses in history. And considering where he started, he couldn't even win a claiming race, the lowest form of racing. Smith knew this horse simply needed someone to care about him, and show him what it was like to be a horse again, and then this little horse could sweep across the nation, winning races left and right.
       I'm really enjoying this blog so far, horse racing is something close to my heart since my grandfather himself was a trainer, and so learning new things about it has always been fun for me. I love reading about the horses and the people they touched, especially a horse like Seabiscuit, that enriched the whole nation with his incredible tale.

Why Horse Racing?

    Horse racing in the US has been extremely popular throughout it's years, with the Kentucky Derby being the seventh most watched sporting event in the US-in 2010 there were 150,000 in attendence live, and over 14 millon tuning in from home. Horse racing itself is the seventh most watched sport in the US as well. Racehorses have had huge impacts on Americans in the past, Seabiscuit for intance, giving the nation hope during the Great Depression, a symbol for them to look to. Horse racing in the US dates back to 1665, when the Newmarket course on Long Island, NY was established. The American Stud Book was started in 1868, which was the beginning of organized horse racing in the US. By 1890, there were 314 operating tracks in America, and in 1994 the American Jockey Club was formed.
    Some of the most well-known races are those belonging to the Triple Crown, a set of three races designed to test a young horse, pushing them to what will probably be the hardest five weeks of racing in their career. It begins with the Kentucky Derby at Chruchill Downs, Louisville, KY. This race is 1 1/4 miles, the first test to determine who will continue on to the Preakness Stakes. The Preakness Stakes are held at Pimlico Racetrack in Balitmore, Maryland and is 1 3/16 miles. If a horse wins both races, it will continue on to the Belmont Stakes, held in Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. This race is 1 1/2 miles, the longest dirt track in thoroughbred racing. In history, there have only been eleven winners, out of the 130 years it has been held. These grueling races are very close together, and some of the longest races these young horses will ever have to run. Perhaps the most famos of all winners is Secretariat, who holds the fastest record for all of these races of all time, and no horses have come even close to breaking them.
    Horse racing has been prominent in the US for many years, the Triple Crown being one of the most popular sporting events, and horse racing itself being so hugley popular among Americans. This blog will look into the most famous racehorses, their owners, trainers, and jockeys, looking at the effects they had on their time, and why their names carry through and stand among the most famous athletes in America.