Eighty years after retiring, still the greatest thoroughbred
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I, like you, Beth, can't get enough about Man O' War. I am eternally fascinated on why great athletes, whether they are human or horse, are great. Certainly no one disputes that Secretariat's enlarged heart gave him an advantage, yet that does not take away any of his legend. I am 42 years young, and remember his Belmont blowout in '73 like it was yesterday. I knew I was witnessing greatness in action.
I applaud you for keeping and building on the memory of Man O' War. Yes, it is too bad we don't have enough video from his heyday.
One question: has any other thoroughbred ever been known to exhibit such a long stride as Man O' War's 28 foot stride. I may have a lot to learn about horse racing, but I do know that a longer stride is more efficient in every respect than taking shorter, more frequent strides.
What amazes me is that Man O' War was really never pushed to the limit or extended in any of his races (over the whole race). And doing all this against the best competition of his day, carrying 15 to 20 more pounds than his peers. I have read that a pound of extra weight is worth 1/5 of a second. No wonder Man O' War is considered the head of the class.
Keep up your great web site. There are more Man O' War fans out here than you realize. Greg
