Famous Thoroughbreds in History

 When you look at every sporting event that has ever occurred, you will see legends that have been engraved into its history. Horse racing is no exception, only its legends have four legs and colorful names. A thoroughbred’s performance is no different than a human when looking to achieve such a high status. There always seems to be one that out shines and out performs to bring life to a sport and glimmer to its name immortalizing it in history.

One of the first famous thoroughbreds that come to mind for many is Man o’ War. This horse is often referred to as the greatest horse to race in the first half of the twentieth century. Man o’ War won 20 out of the 21 races during his career and set the bar high for other thoroughbreds to reach. His fan drawing was so immense that people came from all over the world to see this charismatic horse race and lay him to rest when he passed.

Seabiscuit is another notable famous thoroughbred. Racing during the great depression, this horse gave spectators a distraction to the hard times going on in the country. This horse was thought to be scrawny and not built to race even though famous bloodlines coursed throughout his veins. In fact, his grandsire was none other than the famous Man o’ War. He showed all those nay sayers by winning 33 of his races and claiming numerous records and champion titles ending his career with just under $440,000 dollars.

A third horse to take note of is a thoroughbred named Citation. Citation holds the title of number three in the top United States champions in the twentieth century. He also lays claim to a fifteen race winning streak that earned him the1950 title of horse of the year. Citation has a Triple Crown, was the first to maintain a 16 race winning streak to claim major stakes in each, and had won 27 races out of the 29 that he participated in giving him a purse of a little over 865 thousand dollars during his three year career. Add a Hollywood Gold Cup victory and you have a horse that earned well over a million dollars.

Like any sporting event or arena, performers that make history are few and far between. Horse racing has shown its own set of famous faces that shine through the times for other horse owners to strive to emulate and compare their horses to. Horses like Man o’ War, Seabiscuit, and Citation showed us what levels legends in horse racing can achieve. There have been others along the way, Secretariat, Red Rum, and John Henry, which show this exemplary status even if some were looked at as out of the ordinary and not suited to race. We can all take a lesson from some of these famous Thoroughbreds and always strive to be our best even in the face of negativity or doubt. After all, diamonds are found in the rough.