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Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS
Man O' War isn't just overrated.....he's massively overrated and clearly does not belong in the top 25 horses of the 1900's.
And as for him ducking Exterminator......
"Kilmer was anxious to take on the super horse; it was Sam Riddle, Man o' War's owner, who appeared to duck the issue. Exterminator shipped from Saratoga to Canada where he won a stakes on August 28. Riddle immediately announced that Man o' war would contest the Saratoga Cup three days later figuring the coast was clear. When Kilmer got wind of this Exterminator was quickly brought back.
Racing writer David Alexander put it this way: "Exterminator came back to win the Saratoga Cup, despite the fact he had had a hard race three days before. When the frightening news of Exterminator's return reached Riddle, however, he withdrew Man o' War from the weight-for-age event."
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man o war ran in the jockey club stakes, in which exterminator could have run, and his owner chose not to-it was weight for age, and evidently he didn't want to give weight to man o war.
exterminator was invited to that match race, and was pulled out. same reason, refusal to run under weight for age conditions. if he really felt he could beat man o war, why not run?
also, there had always been plans to run man o war at four-they felt there was plenty of time to face the gelding-but when they were told the kind of weight he'd have to carry, they retired him instead.
i just don't see how you can consider his abilities, under the weights he carried, the times he ran, and the ease with which he won, and think he's overrated. also consider the horsemen who thought he was so special. i mean, a three year old carrying 139. a two year old carrying 130 and above like it was nothing.