Head Shot, Man o' War
This head shot, taken by renowned industry photographer Charles Christian Cook, captures Man o’ War in his prime.
The first estimation of Man o’ War below originally appeared in a 1933 unpublished manuscript by writer and Thoroughbred authority John Hervey. The second was crafted by sports writer Bob Considine as part of his introduction for Cooper and Treat’s 1950 monograph Man o’ War.
“Publications of all kinds, in which ordinarily no notice whatsoever was paid to such an animal as a race horse, featured him conspicuously…
"Editors made it a policy to headline him, knowing that by doing so they were sure to please their readers. As for the cameramen, could they have had their way, he would have had no rest. They haunted his footsteps, on and off the race course. He was dubbed ‘the most photographed horse in the world’ and that he deserved the title is beyond contradiction.”
- John Hervey, 19331
“Big Red was a winner, I will always maintain, because he wanted to be a winner. He had more brains, more class, more speed, more desire to win than any other horse that ever sported silks. He had personality, and the dignity of a king. He was a great actor. Every race was a show for him, and, like all great actors, he never let his public down.”
- R. B. “Bob” Considine, 19502
1. Edward L. Bowen (2000). Man o’ War: Thoroughbred Legends No. 1. Lexington, Kentucky: Eclipse Press, p. 81
2. Page Cooper and Roger L. Treat (1950). Man o’ War. New York: Julian Messner, Inc., p. xiii – xiv