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Man o' War(March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an AmericanThoroughbredracehorsewho is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. Several sports publications, includingThe Blood-Horse,Sports Illustrated, and theAssociated Press, voted Man o' War as the best American racehorse of the 20th century. During his racing career, just afterWorld War I, Man o' War won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 (equivalent to $4,009,000 in 2025) in purses. He was the unofficial 1920 American horse of the year and was honored withBabe Ruthas the outstanding athlete of the year byThe New York Times. He was inducted into theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Famein 1957. On March 29, 2017, the museum opened a special exhibit in his honor, "Man o' War at 100".
In 1919, Man o' War won 9 of 10 starts, including theHopeful StakesandBelmont Futurity, then the most important races for two-year-old horses in the United States. His only loss came atSaratoga Race Course, later nicknamed the Graveyard of Champions, where he lost by a neck to a colt namedUpset.
Man o' War was not entered in the1920 Kentucky Derbybecause his owner,Samuel Riddle, did not believe in racing at the distance of ten furlongs (2,000m) (one mile and a quarter) so early in a young horse's career. Instead, Man o' War made his three-year-old debut in thePreakness Stakeswhere he defeated Upset by1+1⁄2lengths. Man o' War later won theBelmont Stakesby 20 lengths while setting a world record. Throughout the summer and fall, he continued to dominate his fellow three-year-olds, setting multiple records while conceding large amounts of weight to his rivals. The only time he faced older horses was in the final race of his career in a match race againstSir Barton, who had won what would later be known as theAmerican Triple Crownin 1919. Man o' War won easily by seven lengths in the first horserace to be filmed in its entirety.
Riddle originally intended to race Man o' War in 1921 but decided against it because Man o' War would have been assigned record weights in thehandicap formatused in almost all races for older horses at the time. Instead, Man o' War was retired to stud, where he became aleading sirewhose multiple champions included Triple Crown winnerWar Admiral. He was the grandsire ofSeabiscuitand his sire line continues today through horses such asIn Reality,Tiznow,Da' TaraandTourist. Also successful as abroodmaresire, Man o' War is found in almost all modern American pedigrees.
