Hold your strength till the barriers fly,
then close with the leaders eye to eye.
Thundering hooves and the mad jammed race,
blood in the nostrils, sweat in the face.
And children, remember wherever you are,
you carry the blood of Man o' War.
-Anonymous-

He is arguably the greatest Thoroughbred to ever set foot on a racetrack. Known as "Big Red," this legendary chestnut Thoroughbred was born in 1917 and raced in 1919 and 1920. He won 20 of his 21 races, crushing American records, and came in second just once, losing the Sanford Stakes to a horse named Upset. Man O’ War was still circling with his back to the starting line when the flag was dropped. After the jockey got Man O' War turned around, he was already far behind the pack but despite this, he still came close to winning, losing by a half-length as he charged across the finish line in second place. The horse who won that race was Upset, whose name popularized a new phrase in sports ("upset" meaning an upstart beating the favorite.

Trained by Louis Feustel and ridden by jockey Johnny Loftus, Man O' War made an impressive racing debut at Belmont Park on June 6, 1919, winning by 6 lengths. Three weeks later he won the Keene Memorial Stakes.

Man O’ War was an outstanding sire, and might have been even better if Riddle had offered more than a handful of public seasons each year. Man O’ War has sired over 200 champions. Some of his famous offspring include: War Admiral, Crusader, American Flag, Bateau, Mars, Maid at Arms, Clyde Van Dusen, War Relic, Battleship, and Seabiscuit.

Man O’ War died quietly on November 1, 1947 at the age of 30. He was embalmed and lay in state for three days while his final resting place was prepared in a portion of his old paddock. Man O’ War was eventually moved to the Kentucky Horse Park, where the original burial site was faithfully recreated.

Pedigree:

Man o'War, ch.c. foaled 1917	Fair Play, 1905	Hastings, 1893	Spendthrift
			*Cinderella
		*Fairy Gold, 1896	Bend Or
			Dame Masham
	Mahubah, 1910	*Rock Sand, 1900	Sainfoin
			Roquebrune
		*Merry Token, 1891	Merry Hampton
			Mizpah

Born: March 29, 1917, at Nursery Stud, Lexington, Kentucky
Died: November 1, 1947 (age 30), at Faraway Farm, buried at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky

Racing Record:

Year	Age	Starts	1st	2nd	3rd	unp.	earnings
1919	2	10	9	1	0	0	$ 83,325
1920	3	11	11	0	0	0	166,140
total		21	20	1	0	0	$249,465

Record: at 2 years old:

• won - Keene Memorial Stakes
• won - Youthful Stakes
• won - Hudson Stakes ............ (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Tremont Stakes ........... (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - United States Hotel Stakes (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Grand Union Hotel Stakes.. (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Hopeful Stakes ........... (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Belmont Futurity ......... (carrying 127 lbs)
• 2nd - Sanford Stakes
• Champion 2yo Colt

Record at 3 years old:

• won - Preakness Stakes
• won - Belmont Stakes ........... (won by 20 lengths)
• won - Dwyer Stakes
• won - Withers Stakes
• won - Stuyvesant Handicap ...... (carrying 135 lbs)
• won - Miller Stakes
• won - Travers Stakes
• won - Lawrence Realization ..... (won by estimated 100 lengths)
• won - Jockey Club Stakes ....... (won by 15 lengths)
• won - Potomac Handicap ......... (carrying 138 lbs)
• won - Kenilworth Park Gold Cup
• Horse of the Year
• Champion 3yo Colt