Anderson: Progress in Horse Breeding 



^35 



THE MOST VALUABLE DOMESTIC ANIMAL EVER PRODUCED 



Man O'War has won a larger sum of money than any other horse in American racing. At 

 three years of age "he not only won all his races but in doing so reduced the world's records for 

 certain distances for horses of all ages." He comes from a notable line of ancestors which have 

 given him his fine muscular development and remarkable combination of speed factors. Note the 

 refined head; short, alert ear; attractive eye, prominent chest, long legs, clean fiinty bone, and 

 heavy muscles. (Fig. 20.) 



as a four-year-old he has been regularly 

 siring colts that exceed his record when 

 two and three years old, and some of 

 his aged sons and daughters have 

 dominated the races of the Grand Cir- 

 cuit. It is, no doubt, correct to refer 

 to him not only as the most successful 

 sire of his breed but also as the greatest 

 sire of all breeds. 



. Something of his power to improve 

 the breed may be seen by the following 

 comparison. There are twelve sires of 

 the breed who have produced five trot- 

 ters whose records are 2:10 or better. 



There are eleven sires who have pro- 

 duced six. There are fourteen who have 

 produced from seven to nine. There 

 are seventeen who have sired from 10 

 to 27 each in the 2:10 list; while Peter 

 the Great has sired fifty-nine who have 

 records from 2:10 down to 2:01^^ and 

 he has one pacing daughter that holds 

 the world's record as the fastest pacing 

 mare, Miss Harris M 1 :583^. 



The question naturally arises why 

 should one sire have such marked abil- 

 ity for breed improvement? Evidently 

 there is concentrated in him the com- 



