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Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning Paperback – May 1, 2007

by Dorothy Ours (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 250 ratings
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Dorothy Ours's Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning tells the fascinating true story of one of the greatest racehorses who ever lived.

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 o' 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 o' War.

The truth remained problematic. Even as Man o' War--known as "Big Red"--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 o' 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 o' War, tribulations of his archrival, Sir Barton (America's 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.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 1, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.82 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0312341008
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0312341008
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Written with an effortless command of history and language, Man o' War frees Thoroughbred racing's greatest icon from nearly a century of mythology and mystery. In its pages, Man o' War lives in all his complexity: emphatic, breathtaking, maddening, both a blessing and a curse to those who cultivated his superlative talent. Man o' War is a riveting work, researched meticulously and told brilliantly.” ―Laura Hillenbrand, New York Times bestselling author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend

“You take twenty-two chapters, mix in one spectacular Thoroughbred racehorse, and gently blend in just enough inscrutability, dishonesty, and plot---voilá! One must-read book that equals hours of unadulterated pleasure.” ―George M. Steinbrenner III

“The golden era of racing and its greatest star come to life in the vivid pages of Dorothy Ours's outstanding retrospective on Man o' War.” ―Joe Hirsch, Daily Racing Form

About the Author

A lifelong horse enthusiast, Dorothy Ours grew up in the history-rich states of Virginia and West Virginia. She worked for seven years at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York and has been cited for research contributions to several books on Thoroughbred racehorses. Her other fascinations include music, art, and ghost stories.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin (May 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312341008
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312341008
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.82 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 250 ratings

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Dorothy Ours

Dorothy Ours

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From me to you, about Battleship:

Leap was the working title for this book. That one word fits the story as a noun, a verb, and unifying theme. While Battleship does contain the story of the racehorse Battleship -- he is the remarkable force which brings everything together -- this story explores several versions of the passion, planning, and persistence that it takes to make a leap of faith.

If you are a horse person who wants to know what Battleship was like, you will find as much here as I could find. I love his journey from temperamental baby to poised professional to crafty middle-aged guy protecting his assets.

Yet that is only one strand of how this story speaks about the joys and hurdles of life. Whether or not you love horses, I hope that reading this book may give you at least some of what researching and writing it gave me. It isn't a story stuck to one moment in history, or only relevant to the horse world. These true happenings are a source for timeless reflections: the blend of skill and instinct that let a man fly a small plane across the Atlantic Ocean or a teenage boy guide a small horse around the world's toughest steeplechase course ... how much of success depends on partnership ... how easy it can be to choose surface over substance, or gossip above proof. Add a good laugh here and there, plus more than a few thrills, and -- yes -- inspiration to take a deep breath when a poor jump knocks the stuffing out of us, and keep finding more.

We all face what the Grand National race proves, time and again: no matter how rich or talented we may be, we can't control everything life brings. We can only aim our own attitude. Call it making a leap or being a Battleship ... I wish you a good read and a good ride.

Cheers!

Dorothy

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
250 global ratings
This Seller sent a great copy of "Man O' War - A Legend Like Lightening!"
5 Stars
This Seller sent a great copy of "Man O' War - A Legend Like Lightening!"
This softcover book is in good, readable condition, all pages intact, and spine is in condition.Overall a great buy! Thank you!
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Top reviews from the United States

Pianoman
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story that sheds light onto a horse unlike any other in history
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
Man O' War's story is beautiful, gripping, empowering and frustrating. He was in such a class by himself that there is no denying that we never truly got to see Man O' War to his fullest extent. While this book does its best to dispel rumors and myths about Man O' War, it also makes it shockingly clear just how fast and incredibly multi-faceted this horse was. Man O' War could handle distances both short and long, and he often set both American and World Records running only against himself, as unfortunately the more people realized how fast he was, the less likely anyone wanted to try and face him.

While the book starts off a little slow, Ms. Ours ultimately weaves a cohesive and informative story with many insights into the personal challenges and struggles that both Man O' War, his trainer Lou, his jockeys, and his owner Sam Riddle had to face as they came to realize the sheer power of the horse in their hands. Ms. Ours also does a wonderful job giving us some context for the time by sharing information about Sir Barton, the first triple crown winner who would come to be seen by the public as Man o' War's biggest challenger, which helps set the stage for Man o' War's epic match race with him at the end. I really enjoyed learning about Sir Barton because when you see all of his accomplishments it creates an actual sense of rivalry while also really shedding light on just how incredibly fast Man o' War was, as the final race with Sir Barton gives you a pretty straight comparison between the two horses.

Man O' War is a legend not only because he broke many records and scared other horse owners from even racing him (as time went on), but he also is a legend because there still remains some doubt as to whether we ever saw Man O' War pressed to his full extent, not to mention we never did see him race as a four year old (for understandable reasons). In fact the book only recounts one instance where a whip was used on him, and only one time, and when the whip hit he took off ahead of another horse in the last few furlongs so fast that people couldn't believe he could have any energy left to do that at the pace he was setting. Here was a horse so fast and powerful it is likely we will never see such a spectacle again.

For horse racing lovers and sports history lovers, Dorothy Ours has done a masterful work with Man O' War.
6 people found this helpful
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Mel S
4.0 out of 5 stars Backstretch Confidential on Big Red
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
Nice book, full of history and human interest, including the bizarre politics of NY racing and the Jockey Club. However, it was a bit short on the kind of "horsey" information that horse lovers crave. Such a shame not to have included more about Will Harbut's relationship to Man O'War, but gave a clear portrait of the man himself. Good read.
4 people found this helpful
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VendiArt Studio
5.0 out of 5 stars This Seller sent a great copy of "Man O' War - A Legend Like Lightening!"
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
This softcover book is in good, readable condition, all pages intact, and spine is in condition.

Overall a great buy! Thank you!
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VendiArt Studio
5.0 out of 5 stars This Seller sent a great copy of "Man O' War - A Legend Like Lightening!"
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024
This softcover book is in good, readable condition, all pages intact, and spine is in condition.

Overall a great buy! Thank you!
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Solipso
5.0 out of 5 stars A good look at a great racing horse and a revealing peek at his era
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
I have not researched the matter, but this is probably the best biography of Man o' War--not too much, not too little, easily read. I don't see how another biography could be significantly better. Dorothy Ours is knowledgeable regarding race horses, and her book is fairly new, copyright in 2006. Palatable with tasty details and anecdotes supported by footnotes, photos, and index, her prose is suitable for anyone.

As with Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling SEABISCUIT, the story of Man o' War--who was called "Red" by stable hands and friends--has moments of suspense and moments that fill your chest with goodness, making you want to stand up and cheer. But biographies in general have a downside: they usually do not end with a bang, like those of Admiral Nelson or President Kennedy. Most lives extend beyond peaks of fame and achievement, and as lackluster as those later years may be, the biographer is obliged to describe them. Fortunately, though Man o' War lived twenty-seven years beyond his peak, Ms Ours compresses those years to about twenty pages and makes them tolerable, if not as arousing as earlier moments.

As well as telling the story of Man o' War, Ms Ours tells the stories of owners, jockeys, trainers, reporters, and others involved with him and his sport. And you get a glimpse of the horse-racing underworld: fixed races, doped horses, and sabotage against horses and jockeys. She also conveys the spirit of the time: women were entering the electorate, and prohibition was creating disrespect for the law. So you do not need to be a horse-racing fan to appreciate this pastiche of history.
6 people found this helpful
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jayden robyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2012
Verified Purchase
As a Man o' War fan, I've read every one of the biographies currently available on him, and liked or loved them all. What I like about Ms. Ours' book is that she uncovered the truth behind the legend and presented it in a readable form. In the end I learned several new things about him and his connections. I also liked that she covered Sir Barton's side of the story, and I found out that actually, as a three-year-old he was a really good horse.

Another thing I liked is that Ms. Ours kept the book clean. There was the occasional language when quoting sportswriters or Man o' War's people, but there was nothing crude. She also didn't go overboard in praising Man o' War for his accomplishments - she acknowledged he was a great racehorse, but didn't attempt to compare him with any others or the like.

The book covers Man o' War's parents' careers, nearly his entire life (there is very little coverage on his stud career, which was disappointing), what happened to his connections, and Sir Barton's career and his connections; the majority of the book focuses on Man o' War's racing career and what surrounded it. One of the uncovered pieces of history I found interesting was that high imposts (weight he would have to carry as a four-year-old) was maybe not the only thing that prompted Man o' War's retirement. It was refreshing to see a view on his legendary 100-length win in the Lawrence Realization that looks into *why* he won by roughly that much, not just that he did. There is also a good selection of photographs.

If you're a die hard fan of Man o' War or a horse racing fan, this is probably the book for you. If you're new to horse racing, it might be a bit much, with the load of information it contains, in which case I would recommend the Thoroughbred Legends biography of Man o' War.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Andrea McDonald
4.0 out of 5 stars Horse racing fans Will Enjoy, Punctuation Fans Not so Much..
Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed the story, which seemed well researched with lots of factual details. A great story for the fan of horse racing! What I didn't enjoy was the large number of punctuation mistakes and errors of words having an unnecessary dash in the middle.
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Lisa-Marie Reitmeier
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in Germany on November 19, 2013
Verified Purchase
I waitet for this book just a little bit over a week, but it was totally worth it! I read it in just three days and was so sad when i turned the last page. But it's not just about the red superhorse, its about the people that brought him up and the hard living in these old days. I really enjoyed ist.
I think its a really good book for horselovers, but also for someone who is interested in the history not only about horseracing in America but the history about America in generell.
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