Who wins, why, by how much?

Question

In a race between Man O War, Secretariat, Ruffian, and (just for fun we'll throw in) Barbaro, who would win? Why? By how much?

Answer 1

My heart says Secretariat, but my head says Man O'War. I never would have believed it until I saw with my own two eyes the comparison of the strides of Man O'War and Secretariat. In the Kentucky Horse Park they have it laid out with makers indicating their strides, Man O'War's was almost 1&1/2 of Secretariat's! I can't remember exactly what they were, but I want to say Man O'War's was 25 feet and Secretariat's was 17. Then I say there would be a nose (maybe a whisker) between Barbaro and Ruffian, with Barbaro being in the lead.

Answer 2

The problem here is that Man O War, Ruffian, and Barbaro never had much competition so we don't know how they would have run against Secretariat's record times. Nevertheless I don't think the other answers give enough credit to Ruffian and Barbaro.

The only time that Ruffian was running against actual competition was the match race against Foolish Pleasure... and even he wasn't a Triple Crown winner. However, the opening quarter mile of that race was run in 22.5 seconds. Had she continued at that pace (she didn't even need to get faster), she would have outrun Secretariat's derby time by over 30 lengths. Secretariat's fastest quarter mile in the derby was only 23 seconds and that was the final quarter mile... even running only that quarter mile, Ruffian would have beat Secretariat by 2 lengths. So I think Ruffian deserves better than these estimates for how much she'd lose by.

As for Barbaro, he wasn't a record breaker, but he was a winner. He won every race including his Derby where he finished in the fastest time since Secretariat. Of course he was 2 seconds from Secretariat's time equalling 10 lengths... but he didn't have any competition. He was 6 and a half lengths in front at the end of the race... he didn't have any reason to be running fully extended. Running against faster horses, he may have been able to bring his time up to equal the others.

I'm not sure who would actually win, but I think it would be a close race with all the horses within a few lengths of each other at the end.

I'd like to believe Ruffian would have beat them all... there's just something about that beautiful black filly. Statistically based on each of their records, Secretariat would finish in front, but Ruffian's 22.5 quarter mile was better than any of Secretariat's quarter miles in the derby. And Man O War and Barbaro were both unbeaten (well Man O War was 2nd once, but that's because he started the race facing the wrong direction)... against Secretariat and Ruffian's speed, it's fair to say that MoW and Barbaro both would have run faster.

In the age old debate between MoW and Secretariat, I don't know which to choose because Secretariat has the clear fastest times, but MoW was never challenged to run that fast.

In the end, I think Secretariat and Ruffian would finish within a nostril of each other (I can't choose which would be first), with Man O War just a head behind. Barbaro would finish only a half a length back.

Whatever would happen, this would make for one exciting race.

Answer 3

I would have to say Man O War by 1 1/2 back to Secretariat another 5 back to Ruffian and 10 back to Barbaro.

Man O War showed up everytime and was consistant as hell where Secretariat did throw in a cluncker once in a while even though he was brilliant. Ruffian while brilliant in her own right never faced any one as talented as the top 2 and puts in a good effort to finish best of the rest. As for Barbaro he too never faced anyone that had close to the talent of the top 3 aside from the Preakness. While his Derby was impressive, none of the horses he beat have gone on to do anything since that race (aside from Bluegrass Cat in the Haskell who was subsequently trounced in the Travers by Bernardini, injury or not he wasn't gonna beat him that day). Even his victories leading up to the Derby were against suspect company, the Holy Bull was weak and he barely beat Sharp Humor in the Florida Derby who clearly was a better sprinter. Looking back on all that 10 lengths behind Ruffian might be pretty generous, although he was a 3 year old who seemed to be improving so I will be kind.

Answer 4

First you have to ask what is the distance?

Possibly as the poster above mentioned, Ruffian may have been fastest from the gate and could have won a 6 furlong sprint, although you can't extrapolate her quarter or half mile time in the Match Race for comparison to Secretariat's Derby or Belmont.

Really though I have to side with Go4Gin above. If you go to Kentucky Horse Park and see Man 'O War's stride (28 FEET!), you will be blown away. It is astonishing. See link below.

Of course, many people today remember Secretariat (or have heard about him from their parents or grandparents) so he lingers in our folk memory much more than Man 'O War does. But I still remember the way my grandmother talked about seeing Man 'O War run in the 20's. He beat Sir Barton, a Triple Crown winner and an older horse, by 7 lengths, won the Belmont by 20 and once won a race by 100 lengths (there was only one other entrant, it must be noted). His running style was to go right to the front and just draw off on other horses in the stretch.

The fact is Man 'O War (who was the Original "Big Red") only lost once, as a 2 year old, by half a length, when due to the primitive starting system they had then he broke well behind the other horses.

Secretariat, great as he was, lost three races as a three year old and five in his career. Man 'O War was 20 for 21.

So it's Man 'O War, as his groom said "the mostest hoss that ever was".

Answer 5

Secretariat wins easy. He holds the record for the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. In the Kentucky Derby if it were Secretariat vs Barbaro, Secretariat would beat him by at least ten lengths. Secretariat is and will always be the greatest horse of all time. He would beat all challengers very easy and by many lengths. The only horse maybe that would come close to Secretariat is the unbeatable Cigar but thats it.

Answer 6

As far as the odds tell us Man O War had 1 to 100 odds at times, which means that out of 101 races he was slated to win 100 and lose just one. That makes a show bet on him the most guaranteed bet of all time in any sport! (Of course that would be disallowed due to the SERIOUS minus pool it would create.)

I'd say due to his stride (as previously-mentioned) he'd win by about 4-6 lengths (stiff competition) with Secretariat and Ruffian a dead heat for second with Barbaro (sorry to hurt anyone's feelings) about 15 lengths back.

Answer 7

As much as I love Barbaro I would have to say Secretariat, because he won by a 32 or 31 lenth lead! Barbaro won by a 6.5 lenth lead but that was the Kentucky Derby, Secretariat won that lead in the Preakness...right? (lol) I don't know the other two I wasn't a big fan.

Answer 8

Big Red basically ran three track records(timer malfunction in Preakness that year), one a world record that still stands...beat a field by 31 ... Id have him winning but by a few lengths as the other mentioned horses all had some class...but as a 3 year old, in the triple crown...he was gigantic...(barbaro had promise but really didnt beat anything)

Answer 9

I'd have to go with man o war.

Answer 10

secrtariat. lol :)