Who do YOU think was the better horse?

Question

Both were champions. Both came at a time when people needed a winner. Man 'O War & Secretariat: incredible horses. Who do YOU think is the better of the two?

Answer 1

I would go with Man O'War, because he was not only a superior runner himself, but he was also an outstanding sire who passed his traits on to future generations. We are still seeing horses on the track today which are descendents of Man O'War, horses that consistently win races and then go on to sire other winners in their own right. These are claims which cannot be made about Secretariat, no matter how much I might otherwise like him. He had what has been described as a rather mediocre career at stud- and unlike Man O'War, Secretariat never sired a Triple Crown winner.  Yes, Secretariat was a fantastic runner- but he wasn't much in the breeding shed. There's an old saying in this business which I think applies to this: it says that "Blood will tell....." In the case of Man O'War, this is certainly true. Look at the countless numbers of winners Man O'War sired, and at the offspring that THEY sired in turn.  I can't say the same about Secretariat.  Hope that helps.

Answer 2

man o war...one loss due to a bad break from the starting line (no gate) and track or world records most of the time he ran...also made a wonderful sire of champions, while secretariat pretty much made a good dam sire...

Answer 3

I much prefer Secretariat, although it is difficult to compare horses from such vastly different eras.  Secretariat was the best of his foal crop - of around 22,000.  Man O' War was the best of his crop - of 1,200.  That's a huge difference.  Secretariat also beat much larger fields than Man O' War.  (Without looking it up) Man O' War raced against 2 or fewer opponents in almost half his starts.  He never raced against more than 10 opponents in any start.  OTOH Secretariat never ran in a race with as few as three entrants and he ran in double digit fields on five seperate occasions.  Secretariat also ran against older horses in his last five starts.  Man O' War ran against exactly one older horse in his entire career (Sir Barton).

Answer 4

Secretariat, despite what Man o'War did

Answer 5

Eh, I don't care. Both would make good glue.

Answer 6

They sound equally better by the way you described them. Need a little more detail, but they shouldn't be compared.

Answer 7

Definetly secritariot. No other horse has beaten his records. also, no other horse could come from the back of the pack and win by so much.

Answer 8

I think Man o War's  a little bit better. Secretariat was an amazing horse too.

Answer 9

It's hard to compare across eras.  Man O'War completely dominated his peers, but then so did Secretariat.  It's tempting to give Big Red the edge because we know more about the quality of the horses he ran against and beat, legends in their own right like Sham, Stop the Music,  and Cougar II.  Man O'War simply didn't face the same level of competition.  Still: one loss speaks for itself...and a half-length loss at that.  

Man O'War set many records in his day, even if they have been surpassed over time.  Both were the greatest horses of their brief time racing.  Secretariat, training decades later and having so many modern advantages, would have crushed Man O'War in a match race, but they existed in the context of their own times.  I think you have to call a dead heat.

Answer 10

ManO'War was by far the superior animal.  He was fortunate to have a heart that was twice the size of other horses & this enabled him to run more efficiently & with greater ease & overall less stress on his body!  He was truly one of a kind!

Answer 11

I can't compare the two. They raced at different times and different races. They raced against different horses. Maybe if they were alive during the same years i could compare them but I can't.

Answer 12

Secretariat, simply because Man O' War was waaaaay before my time...LOL!

I happened to be at the track to see Secretariat win the TC, I honestly believe we will never see another horse like him! And I still get goose bumps whenever I hear the famous call "Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine". He was all that!

Answer 13

Seabiscuit =)

Answer 14

secretariat...was the best race horse ever......

Answer 15

Secretariat and Man O' War were from different eras; I believe when Man O' War raced they didn't even have starting gates.  Both completely dominated their peers.  Although Man O' War defeated a Triple Crown champion, the Canadian horse Sir Barton, and won one race by 100 lengths, which was the largest winning margin ever,  I still choose Secretariat, because I saw Secretariat race (on TV) and I don't think Man O' War had the personality that Secretariat did.  It's a matter of personal preference and the era in which one was born.

Answer 16

I'd go with Secretariat.

Answer 17

Never having actually seen Man O' War it's hard for me to answer this........I fell in love with Secretariat from the first moment I saw him so I'm very partial to him........From all I've read about M.O.W. he was a fantastic horse but that was way back when........By the time "Big Red" ran a lot of things changed like faster times, tracks, track surfaces, etc......The only way to really answer this honestly and without favoritism would be if the 2 ever met up in a match race and even then it would be based on only one race.........GREAT QUESTION!!!......Wish there were really a way to find out......CAT