Go Man Go

This article is about the racehorse. For other uses, see Go Man Go (disambiguation).
Go Man Go
Horse at full gallop racing along a racetrack with a rider bent over the horse's neck.
Go Man Go being exercised by jockey Robert Strauss, Los Alamitos Racetrack, about 1956[1]
BreedQuarter Horse
DisciplineRacing
SireTop Deck (TB)
GrandsireEquestrian (TB)
DamLightfoot Sis
Maternal grandsireVery Wise (TB)
SexStallion
Foaled1953
CountryUnited States
ColorRoan
BreederJ. B. Ferguson
Record
47-27-9-3, AAAT speed rating[2]
Earnings
$86,151.00 (equivalent to $934,600 in 2023)[2][3]
Major wins
PCQHRA Futurity, Autumn Championship (twice), Wonder Lad Stakes (twice), Clabbertown G stakes (three times);[4][5] Winner Take All Stakes; Barbara B Handicap; Champion Stakes; Ruidoso Derby; State Fair Stallion Stakes; Gold Bar Stakes; New Mexico State Fair[6]
Awards
1955 World Champion Quarter Running Horse; 1956 World Champion Quarter Running Horse; 1957 World Champion Quarter Running Horse;[2] Superior Race Horse; 1957 High Money Earning Race Horse; 1956 High Money Earning Horse[6]
Honors
AQHA Hall of Fame[7]
Last updated on: April 29, 2009.

Go Man Go (1953–1983) was an American Quarter Horse stallion and race horse. He was named World Champion Quarter Running Horse three times in a row, one of only two horses to achieve that distinction. Go Man Go was considered to be of difficult temperament. While waiting in the starting gate for his first race, he threw his jockey, broke down the gate, and ran alone around the track; he was eventually caught and went on to win the race. During his five years of competition until he retired from racing in 1960 he had 27 wins, earning more than $86,000 (equivalent to $935,000 in 2023).

Neither of Go Man Go's parents raced. His sire (father), the Thoroughbred stallion Top Deck, was bred by the King Ranch. His dam (mother) hailed from Louisiana; Go Man Go is thought to have gained his swiftness on the track from her. For the first years of Go Man Go's racing career, his owner faced difficulty in registering him with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), a matter that remained unresolved until 1958.

Go Man Go went on to sire two All American Futurity winners and seven Champion Quarter Running Horses. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, as were two of his offspring. His daughters also produced, or were the mothers of, several race winners, including the Hall of Fame members Kaweah Bar and Rocket Wrangler. The director of racing for the AQHA once compared his impact on Quarter Horse racing and breeding to that of Man o' War in Thoroughbred racing, or that of human athletes such as Ben Hogan and Babe Ruth.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chamberlain was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Digest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Nye Great Moments pp. 130–133
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pitzer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b AQHA Official Get of Sire Summary Record for Go Man Go
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference AQHAHoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).