Man o' War, Lest We Forget

[Augenj]

Jay Privman quoting Joe Palmer:

“He was as near to a living flame as horses ever get, and horses get closer to this than anything else. It was not merely that he smashed his opposition, sometimes by a hundred lengths, or that he set world records, or that he cared not a tinker’s curse for weight or distance of track or horses. It was that even when he was standing motionless in his stall, with his ears pricked forward and his eyes focused on something slightly above the horizon which mere people never see, energy still poured from him. He could get in no position which suggested actual repose, and his very stillness was that of the coiled spring, of the crouched tiger.”

[tzipi]

Love Man O War and have read two great books on him. Listened to his funeral last month on audio. Different time back then :) The only thing I disagree with about his career is that 100 lengths win talk. Finding competition for Man o’ War became difficult because they didn't have the amount of horses and competition running back then like they do today. So in the Lawrence Realization Stakes at Belmont, no other horse was willing to go up against him until Hoodwink was good-heartedly entered by Mrs. Riddle’s niece, Sarah Jeffords. She asked the horse not be run hard at all. Just entered and started the race so there would be another horse running for the track.

[MPRanger]

I have a picture of Man O' War crossing the finish line right by my desk.
Right beside it is a picture of Secretariat at the Belmont Stakes.

Surely, I have pictures of the two greatest race horses of
all time , which ever was the best ...... probably Man O'War as long as we
aren't talking about June 9, 1973.

[tzipi]

I have a picture of Man O' War crossing the finish line right by my desk.
Right beside it is a picture of Secretariat at the Belmont Stakes.

Surely, I have pictures of the two greatest race horses of
all time , which ever was the best ...... probably Man O'War as long as we
aren't talking about June 9, 1973.


That's awesome. You can't be surrounded by two better pics than that at your desk. ;)

[Robert Fischer]

Jay Privman quoting Joe Palmer:

“He was as near to a living flame as horses ever get, and horses get closer to this than anything else. It was not merely that he smashed his opposition, sometimes by a hundred lengths, or that he set world records, or that he cared not a tinker’s curse for weight or distance of track or horses. It was that even when he was standing motionless in his stall, with his ears pricked forward and his eyes focused on something slightly above the horizon which mere people never see, energy still poured from him. He could get in no position which suggested actual repose, and his very stillness was that of the coiled spring, of the crouched tiger.”

poetry

[mountainman]

I don't believe in unbeatable horses. Races are too circumstantial, and factors like pace, trip and track bias have the potential to blemish ANY perfect record. But I do think the rider stiffed Man O' War in that fateful loss to Upset. It's a little known fact that the horse's trainer, who lived out his latter years in impoverished solitude not far from here, claimed in a rare interview (with some small local paper) that Loftus had eventually confided his misdeed.

[Augenj]

I don't believe in unbeatable horses. Races are too circumstantial, and factors like pace, trip and track bias have the potential to blemish ANY perfect record. But I do think the rider stiffed Man O' War in that fateful loss to Upset. It's a little known fact that the horse's trainer, who lived out his latter years in impoverished solitude not far from here, claimed in a rare interview (with some small local paper) that Loftus had eventually confided his misdeed.
Interesting. Never heard that before.

[tzipi]

I don't believe in unbeatable horses. Races are too circumstantial, and factors like pace, trip and track bias have the potential to blemish ANY perfect record. But I do think the rider stiffed Man O' War in that fateful loss to Upset. It's a little known fact that the horse's trainer, who lived out his latter years in impoverished solitude not far from here, claimed in a rare interview (with some small local paper) that Loftus had eventually confided his misdeed.

That seems too weird IMO. Why stiff Man O War?

[mountainman]

That seems too weird IMO. Why stiff Man O War?

My guess is bookies were behind it. No proof. Just speculation.

[Augenj]

My guess is bookies were behind it. No proof. Just speculation.
That would be a pretty good guess, proof or not.