Man O' War: A Legend Like Lightning

The Story

His trainer said that managing him was like holding a tiger by the tail. His owner compared him to chain lightning. His jockeys found their lives transformed by him, in triumphant and distressing ways. All of them became caught in a battle for honesty. Born in 1917, Man oa War grew from a rebellious youngster into perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time. He set such astonishing speed records that The New York Times called him a Speed Miracle. Often he won with so much energy in reserve that experts wondered how much faster he could have gone. Over the years, this and other mysteries would envelop the great Man oa War. The truth remained problematic. Even as Man oa War&mdash-known as Big Red&mdash-came to power, attracting record crowds and rave publicity, the colorful sport of Thoroughbred racing struggled for integrity. His lone defeat, suffered a few weeks before gamblers fixed the 1919 World Series, spawned lasting rumors that he, too, had been the victim of a fix. Tackling old beliefs with newly uncovered evidence, Man oa War: A Legend Like Lightning shows how human pressures collided with a natural phenomenon and brings new life to an American icon. The genuine courage of Man oa War, tribulations of his archrival, Sir Barton (Americaas first Triple Crown winner), and temptations of their Hall of Fame jockeys and trainers reveal a long-hidden tale of grace, disgrace, and elusive redemption.