In case you haven't noticed this is a MAN O' WAr board. Second, you're not weighing the facts appropriately.
Things have changed in racing since the '20's. Tracks are up to two seconds faster, which is about by what Secretariat beat Man O' War's records. The shoes in 1921 were iron, not aluminum. Everything from diet to training, whether it was turf or dirt, and weight carried effected it.
Second, consider the weight differences they carried. Man O' War once carried 138 pounds and won easily. He sometimes gave horses 32 pounds!Secretariat's highest weight was 126 and often he carried lower weight!Sometimes at only 119,something Man O' War didn't see since his second race... Once he was thrashed by a horse carrying 7 pounds more! The one time Man O' War lost he had a bad start and was giving 15 pounds to Upset, he, however, courageously caught up with Upset and lost only by a neck.
And Secretariat, who was almost never held back, ran his full speed with a stride of 24 feet. Man O' War was almost NEVER let out (possibly never) with a stride of 30 feet!
Also, Secretariat often shaved records. Man O' War under a stout hold broke records by even 6 seconds!And his world record for 1 5/8 miles still stands after about 90 years! Which happened to be the race he won by 100 lengths. And Hoodwink was a fairly decent horse (surely no star but not a nag.)
So before you post things like this, consider the facts. Just because anyone over 35 can remember Secretariat doesn't mean he was the better horse.
