Who was Man o War?
Man o’ War was an American racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of the 20th century, as well as one of the finest sires. In addition to setting numerous track records, Man o’ War also sired an astounding 64 stakes winners, and over 200 assorted champions and broodmares. Many horses on tracks around the world are related in some way to Man o’ War, although had his breeding been better managed, his relatives would be much more abundant.
Man o’ War was an American racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest thoroughbred racehorse of the 20th century, as well as one of the finest sires. In addition to setting numerous track records, Man o’ War also sired an astounding 64 stakes winners, and over 200 assorted champions and broodmares. Many horses on tracks around the world are related in some way to Man o’ War, although had his breeding been better managed, his relatives would be much more abundant. He was born in 1917 on Nursery Stud Farm, out of the mare Mahubah who had been bred to Fair Play. His bloodline can be directly traced to the Godolphin Arabian, part of the founding stock of the thoroughbred breed. Fair Play was known for being a temperamental, difficult to manage stallion, and Mahubah could be a handful as well; these traits certainly manifested in Man o’ War, who was known for being a stubborn horse. His owner and breeder, August Belmont, was deployed overseas to fight in the First World War, and Belmo
