RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Was never impressed with a horse that would blow away competition one week and then look like a complete disaster the next. You gotta outsprint the sprinters and outstay the stayers.
Man O' War did all of that. His bad days were better than Secretariats good days.

Man O' War was without a doubt the greatest horse that ever lived.

Secretariat was a steriod monster. He couldn't nibble Man O' War's saddle clothe. Someone explain to me how a healthy stallion suddenly just gets Lamintis? "Super" Red was a poser.

He would have beat Secretariat by 10 lenghts

With Secretariat, the greatest horse of all time. In thoroughbred heaven you can't shine a flashlight between them as they thunder down the stretch.

Remember Upset???

The only horse I'd place above him is Secretariat. A monster!

Where Man o' War has Secretariat beat all hollow is as a sire. Man o' War's book of mares was mediocre at best, yet he sired champion after champion. Secretariat was bred to the finest mares of his time, but got only a couple of good ones. In those cases, I think credit should go to the mares, rather than Secretariat. A horseman once said (of sires): "If his colts are no good, then he's no good." I don't entirely agree with that, but you know what I mean--

Man O War, would have proved himselfe greater than he was, if he would have been given a chance to run the Triple Crown. As a 3yr. old, not just the Belmont, He would have won all 3 in record time's.

Man O' War won 20 out of 21 races, and the only one that he didn't win was a race where he has a very poor start. And in one of his matche races, he had a 100+ length win over his rival. He is probably as good or better as Secretariat.

Great,
but oatmeal for the likes of Eclipse(1764-1789)and Kincsem(1874-1887). Also, Carbine(1885-1914) carried more weight!

phar lap over man o war?? i dont think so.

One of the greatest champion racehorses in history, "Big Red", who started odds on fav in every race he contested, won twenty of his twenty one starts in all. In various polls to name America's greatest ever racehorse, Man O' War comes out on top more often than not.His trainer,Louis Feustel, described Man O' War as "the mostest hoss that ever was". Few would disagree.

Secretariat was the Man O' War of modern times. Both were called Big Red and both accomplished greatness for their time. They will both go down in history for being great! It's not fair to compare two horses who ran in such different times. Each surpassed expectations.

This horse is incredible. Break it down any way you want, Man O'War wins almost every conceivable category and is close in the rest. His track-record set % and average lowering are well above average, even for that easy-pickin's day & age which is what the detractors usually try to use against him. Never mind that amongst those 8 TRs (1 was an equal), he included 2 American and 3 world records - a feat almost unheard of, in % of starts. The records are further validated by the fact he usually beat the opposition by a believable margin, considering how badly he lowered a record. MOW carried weight averaging 127 lbs and CONCEDED to others (much more important) an average of 12 lbs, maximum of some 30 lbs. He raced frequently, about every 12 days, raced on various conditions and won, and even overcame *race-time* obstacles - real obstacles instead of obtuse - such as damaging tendons or not starting properly, to win and often set records. MOW also used no special equipment at all - no hoods, no bandages, special bits, nothing. His talent included staying together, sound, and staying focused. He was ALL about racing. The ultimate machine. His biggest knock is that few horses faced him as a 3yo - they were scared away. That wasn't because of small foal crops - horse races averaged about the same # of horses as they do now. MOW entered the original Jockey Club Gold Cup (nee: Stakes) open to all but geldings, and no elders even entered. See my site for data http://hometown.aol.com/rebelkris/manowar.html

Man O' War was better than Secratariat by about 69 lengths(if you know what i'm sayin'). But he, nor secratariat will ever come close to Ruffian. She was, and still is, the greatest racehorse ever. You don't have to teach an eagle to fly, and you don't have to teach Ruffian to win, because she didn't know how to lose.

i can't believe im seeing man o' war in second place!(as i type this)he is no. 1!!! don't get me wrong secretariat is a champion, but he was not horse of the century!!!besides in secretariat's time they race with aluminum shoes, man o' war raced with IRON shoes!!! and he still beat everyone in a fair race.once, ONE TIME he was beaten in a race, but that race was run after a faulty start! he was side-ways when the starter let them go!!! and now he's honored by being stuck in second. come on!!!

Man O' War has a presence that not even Secretariat had when you look at their pictures. He was able to win races under incredible weight and later went on to pass on incredible genes to horses like War Admiral and many other great horses. he should be considered the greatest racehorse of all time.