Man O'War, considered the greatest racing horse ever, was born on March 29, 1917. He was owned by August Belmont, Jr, who volunteered, at age 65, to serve in World War I. Man O'War was born in Belmont's absence, so his wife named the colt after her overseas husband. The Belmont Stakes is named after August Belmont, Sr. In 1918, Man O'War was sold to Samuel D. Riddle for $5,000.
Man O'War was trained by Louis Fuestel and ridden by jockeys Johnny Loftus and then Clarence Kummer. Man O'War was a hugely talented horse, losing only one race, the Sanford Memorial Stakes. His loss can be attributed to the starting process. At the time there were no starting gates and horses just circled around the starting line. At the Sanford Memorial Stakes, Man O'War had his back to the starting line when the race began. Despite this, he finished second!
As the season went on, no one wanted to put their horse against Man O'War, who was considered a sure thing. At the Lawrence Realization Stakes, Man O'War's owners finally persuaded a horse named Hoodwinked to race. Man O'War won in excess of one hundred lengths and set a new world record.
After this outstanding season, he was shipped to Faraway Farm, in Lexington, Kentucky, to stud. He died at age 30, on November 1, 1947 of an apparent heart attack; just one month after this longtime groom, Will Harbut, died. Man O'War was originally buried at Faraway Farm, but later moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in the early 1970s. American sculpture Herbert Haseltine provided a sculpture for his memorial. When he died, Man O'War lay in state for several days in a specially designed casket lined with his racing colors. He is the subject of several books, including one by Walter Farley, who wrote the Black Stallion series. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957.
War Admiral was born at Faraway Farm, in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1934. He was such a dark brown color that many people believed he was a black horse. He was conditioned by George Conway and his exercise rider was Tom Harbut, son of Man O'War's groom.
War Admiral hated the starting gate, but didn't let this keep him from becoming a champion. He was the 1937 Triple Crown winner and named that year's Horse of the Year. His winnings for 1937 alone totaled $166,500. When he won the McLennon Memorial Handicap in 1938, he was racing so well that his jockey, Charley Kurtsinger didn't even carry a whip!
A contemporary of Seabiscuit's, many people wanted to see the two horses meet on the race track. A match-up was scheduled, but Seabiscuit had to withdraw with a leg problem. A second match-up was arranged only when the two sides agreed to stage a "sporting venture" rather than a "financial venture" The purse was set at $15,000 (not the $100,000 the horses could have commanded). At this meeting, Seabiscuit emerged victorious.
As a 5-year-old, War Admiral won his only start before an ankle injury ended his racing career. He boasted career earnings of $273,240 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958. Owner Samuel D. Riddle commissioned a portrait from equine artist Martin Stainforth. War Admiral died in 1959.
Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970 at Meadow Farm in Caroline County, Virginia. He was owned by Penny Chenery, trained by Lucien Lauren, and ridden by Ron Turcotte. When it came time to name the foal, the secretary at Meadow Farm, Elizabeth Ham, submitted ten names to the Jockey Club. When those ten names were rejected, she came up with Secretariat and it stuck.
A champion racer, Secretariat became the Triple Crown winner in 1973. He was the first horse to win this honor in a quarter of a century! His win at the Preakness Stakes that year is undisputed, although his official time, for various reasons, has never been established.
Secretariat won 16 of his 21 career races. He finished out of the money in only one race when, as a 2-year-old he was jostled coming out of the starting gate and wound up finishing in 4th place.
Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974, Secretariat was also ranked 35th on ESPN's 100 Greatest Athletes of the Twentieth Century. As such, he was one of only three non-humans on the list! He retired at the age of three and in the fall of 1989 he was afflicted with laminitis, a painful hoof condition. Secretariat never fully recovered and he was put to sleep on October 4, 1989. Tradition dictates that only pieces of race horses be buried: the head (symbolizing intelligence), the heart (symbolizing strength), and the legs (symbolizing power). However, Secretariat was buried whole! At his autopsy, his heart was measured at twice the size of a normal horse. In 1999, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp bearing Secretariat's likeness.
The eighth Triple Crown winner in U.S. history, Citation was born on April 11, 1945. He was trained by Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones and ridden by first Al Snider and later Eddie Arcaro. Citation started racing as a 2-year-old and won the first race he entered, at Havre de Grace, Maryland. Often compared to racing great Man O'War, that same year Citation won every race he entered except for a loss to his stablemate Bewitch. Trainer Jones had decreed that whichever horse was in front at the stretch should be allowed to win. Despite his abilities, Citation was reined in and Bewitch went on to win.
Citation retired with a record of forty-five races entered resulting in thirty-two wins, ten second places, and 2 third places. His life-time winnings totaled $1,085,760. His Triple Crown win in 1948 guaranteed his place in history and he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1959.
There is a life-sized statue of Citation at Hileah Park in Florida and a Citation Handicap is run at the Hollywood Park Racetrack. He is buried at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and this racing great received one final, unique honor. Dwayne Wallace, Chairman of the Cessna Aircraft Company chose the name Citation for the new business jet Cessna was developing. The jet's logo also has a horseshow background. Citation truly soars!
Affirmed's 1978 Triple Crown win made him the eleventh horse in United States history to do so. This horse was known for his double-threat: He was fast enough to get out in front of the pack and had enough heart to fend off challenges to his lead. Affirmed was born on February 21, 1975 and died on January 12, 2001. He was trained by Laz Barrera and ridden by Steve Cauthen.
Affirmed's rivalry with Alydar was the stuff of legends. At the Belmont Stakes in 1978, the two horses were racing so closely that Steve Cauthen had to switch his whip from his right hand to his left! Their rivalry ended in an unsportsmanlike manner at the 1978 Travers Stakes in Saratoga, New York. Cauthen was injured and an replacement rider, Hall-of-Famer Laffit Pincay, cut off Alydar, causing him to check suddenly. Affirmed crossed the finish line first but was disqualified and placed second.
Also during 1978, the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap marked the first time in history that two Triple Crown winners ever raced against each other. Affirmed met Seattle Slew, the 1977 champion. Affirmed emerged victorious.
Affirmed had a lifetime record of twenty-nine races resulting in twenty-two first place finished, 5 second place finishes, and 1 third place. The only time he didn't finish in the money was at the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup, when his saddle slipped! His racing purse equaled $2,393,818. Affirmed was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1980.
Spectacular Bid, a truly spectacular racer, was born on February 17, 1976. He was trained by Grover G. "Bud" Delp and owned by Henry and Teresa Mayerhoff. "The Bid" began his racing career as a 2-year-old and was often compared to greats Seattle Slew and Affirmed.
Spectacular Bid won twenty-six of the thirty races he started, for a total lifetime purse of $2,781,607, then a record. He finished out of the money only once. Although a heavy favorite, Spectacular Bid did not win the 1978 Triple Crown because of several incidents at the Belmont Stakes. First, and most important, a safety pin was found lodged in his hoof. Secondly, his jockey, Ronnie Franklin, and a rival jockey, Angel Cordero, got into a fist fight in the waiting area.
"The Bid" went on to face Triple Crown winner Affirmed in the 1979 Jockey Club Gold Cup; Affirmed won in a very tight race. Spectacular Bid was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1982.
Dr. Fager was born in 1964 and trained by Hall-of-Famer John Nerud. Dr. Fager was named for a Boston brain surgeon, Dr. John Fager, who had saved Nerud's life with two operations after a bad fall from his pony.
Dr. Fager had a reputation as an arrogant and unruly horse; albeit very talented. He was the strongest handicap horse of his era and finished his career with a lifetime racing purse of $1,002,642. His record stood at twenty-two races entered with eighteen first place finishes, 2 second-place finishes, and 1 third place finish. He was the only horse to hold four titles in one year. That year was 1968 and the titles were: Horse of the year, Champion Handicap Horse, Champion Sprinter, and Co-Champion Grass Horse. Because of his reputation for unruliness, other racing teams sometimes employed the "rabbit" technique against him. They would send a horse fast out of the gate to tire Dr. Fager. Because Dr. Fager was difficult to control, he would go all out after the "rabbit" and tire quickly.
Dr. Fager was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1971. He died on August 5, 1976 of a colon obstruction. He was just 12-years-old.
Seattle Slew, the first and only undefeated Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winner, was born on February 15, 1974. In 1975, he was sold at auction to Karen and Mickey Taylor for $25,000. The Taylors lived in White Swan, Washington and they named their new horse for a city in their state and also for the slough that loggers used to use to transport logs. Karen changed the spelling because she thought the word would be too confusing for announcers. Seattle Slew was trained by Billy Turner and Douglas Peterson
Slew debuted as a 2-year-old and won the 3 races that he entered in 1976. In 1977, he won 6 consecutive races, including the Triple Crown! Seattle Slew provided evidence of his big heart and courageous nature when, in 1978, he suffered several career-threatening setbacks. His left jugular vein collapsed and it was thought he would never race again. He also suffered a suspensory ligament injury and a filled ankle. Despite this, Seattle Slew battled back and was named Horse of the Year in 1978.
Seattle Slew ended his career with a record of seventeen races entered yielding fourteen first place finishes and 2 second-place finishes. His lifetime racing purse equaled $1,208,726. Seattle Slew was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1981.
Seabiscuit was born on May 23, 1933. He grew up on Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky and was not much to look at. He ate and slept more than most horses. He was trained as a racer, but his owner, Charles S. Howard didn't have much hope for him. He was left to a punishing schedule of small races and was sometimes the butt of jokes. As a 3-year-old he had a more promising season but still, when the season ended, he was used as a workhorse.
In 1936, Seabiscuit acquired a new trainer, Tom Smith and a new jockey, Red Pollard. The rest is history. Horse and rider are forever linked in their unique story. Kept secret from the racing world was the fact that Pollard had lost an eye in a training incident. When Seabiscuit narrowly lost the Santa Anita Handicap in 1937, speculation held that Pollard simply didn't see the other horse advancing on Seabiscuit. In 1937, Seabiscuit won 11 races of the 15 he entered and was the leading money winner in the United States. Seabiscuit began to race on the West Coast, where he remained extremely popular. He met up with War Admiral in a race billed as the "Match of the Century" on November 1, 1938. Seasbiscuit emerged victorious!
Seabiscuit and jockey Pollard suffered a number of injuries, but horse and rider kept coming back. Seabiscuit retired from racing on April 10, 1940 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958. His record included eighty-nine races entered with thirty-three wins, fifteen seconds, and 3 thirds and a lifetime racing purse of $437,730. His inspirational story sparked a 1940 book, a 1949 movie starring Shirley Temple, a 2001 book, and the 2003 major motion picture, which was nominated for 7 Academy Awards.
Barbaro, a horse that was to unite a nation in grieving, was born on April 29, 2003. He was owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson and trained by Michael R. Matz.
Barbaro showed early promise and won the Kentucky Derby in 2006. A heavy Triple Crown favorite, Barbaro's hopes were literally shattered by an ankle injury at the start of the Preakness. The May 20, 2006 Preakness drama began with Barbaro crashing through the start gate prematurely. He was examined by doctors and decreed fine to race. Immediately after the race's start, however, Barbaro fractured 3 bones in and around his ankle. He underwent surgery at the New Bolton Center at The University of Pennsylvania and for a time it seemed that Barbaro would recover. The horse's progress was erratic, with some reports bringing hope, but others bringing despair. In July of 2006 he developed laminitis, a painful hoof condition, in his left rear leg. He had 5 additional surgeries and spent much time in the equine Intensive Care Unit. His right leg eventually healed, but then he developed laminitis in both front legs. Despite the best medical care, the time came when Barbaro could not bear his weight on any of his legs. In consultation with his doctors, his owners decided that his pain could no longer be managed and Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007.
Barbaro's promise had been great; his victory at the Kentucky Derby was by the widest margin since 1946. He was racing so well that his jockey, Edgar Prado, did not even use his whip. Barbaro's fate has led to the realization that modern thoroughbreds, due to their breeding, are more delicate than their predecessors. His owners have established an equine health fund in his honor.
Barbaro's record stands at 7 races entered with 6 first place finishes. His racing purse totaled $2,302,200.
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