There are many legends of horses in racing. They stretch from the beginnings of racing to the present day. Legends are made by being exceptional at what they do, or by somehow capturing the hearts of the public. The best manage to do both.
Man of war
Man O’ War was born in 1917 in Lexington, Kentucky. Regarded as one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all time, Man O’ War lost only one of his 21 starts. He was a tall chestnut, measuring 16.2 hands. Man O’ War’s stride was an incredible 28 feet… four feet longer than the Secretariat. Man O’ War did not enter the Kentucky Derby, but he easily won the Preakness and the Belmont was his by 20 lengths. Man O’ War can be found in the pedigrees of many champion racehorses including War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Kelso and many others. He died in 1947. Man O’ War is buried in the Kentucky Horse Park under a life-size statue.
Ruffian
Ruffian was a winner from the start. In his inaugural race, he equaled the track record of 1:03 for 5-1/2 furlongs. With each start, she seemed to get faster. She won every stake race she entered and was voted champion junior filly for 1974. She won the American Filly Triple Crown, consisting of The Acorn, Mother Goose Stakes and American Oaks. She set out on a race between Foolish Pleasure, the reigning colt, and Ruffian, the reigning filly. More than 50,000 people gathered at Belmont Park to watch this incredible game. The same rider, Jacinto Vásquez, was the regular rider for both horses. He thought about riding Ruffian in the match.
As Foolish Pleasure jumped to the front, Ruffian soon caught up with him and was slightly ahead. The race was nearly even as they approached the mile post, when both jockeys heard a sound “like a board breaking.” The race was over. Ruffian stopped, having shattered the sesamoid bones in his front right leg. The crowd waited in silence as the ambulance headed toward Ruffian. A pneumatic cast was placed on her leg before being carried into the ambulance. The surgery took 12 hours, during which the filly was revived twice when he stopped breathing. When she finally woke up, she was disoriented and in pain. She struck out violently despite the desperate attempts of her caretakers to keep her still. She fractured the new cast and more damage was done to her fetlock. It was decided that her best decision was to put her down. She was buried in Belmont Park, where she ran her first and last race.
Secretary
Often compared to Man O’ War, Secretariat also had 16.2 hands and his bright brown coat stood out from the crowd. Born in 1970, Secretariat won the Triple Crown, setting new records in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. He set a new world record at Belmont and still won by 31 lengths. At 2 and 3 years old he won Horse of the Year. He won the Man O’ War Stakes and did another famous chestnut stallion proud by proving that he could win just as easily on grass as he did on dirt. He retired as a stallion and sired many outstanding horses. He died at the age of 19 in 1989 and is buried at Claiborne Farm.
