Percy Earl

Widely regarded as the greatest Thoroughbred racehorse of all time, numerous sports publications voted Man o’ War the best American racehorse of the 20^th century. The horse was bred by August Belmont Jr. in 1917, the year Belmont volunteered to serve in France aged 65. The foal was fittingly named Man o’ War by Belmont’s wife in honor of her husband. Belmont Jr. returned to the United States after the war and remained chairman of the Jockey Club until his death in 1924.

As the Belmonts were liquidating their stable to support the war effort, the chestnut stallion, easily recognizable with his trademark white star and stripe on his forehead, was auctioned off to Samuel Riddle for the equivalent of $90,000. It started winning its first races at just 2 years old in 1919 when it won 9 out of 10 starts including the Hopeful Stakes and Belmont Futurity, two of the most prestigious races for the age category.

Winning an impressive 20 out of 21 races, the horse won the equivalent of $3,374,000 in purses, making the highest money-earner in American history at the time. In 1957 the horse was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Man o’ War’s stride (a single coordinated movement of all four legs) was measured at an astonishing 28 feet and is still believed to the longest of all time to this day. While all horses are fond of sugar, and Man o’ War was no exception and would beg for a lump, his favorite treats were oranges.