Horse Racing: If at First You Succeed, Try, Try Again

Breeding a race horse is like baking a soufflé: you find a good recipe, follow it exactly—and heaven only knows what the result will be. Mating a mare named Geisha to a stallion named Polynesian may result in 1) a Native Dancer, who won 21 out of 22 races, or 2) a Noble Savage, who never won a race at all. August Belmont gave his name to a famous race track (New York's Belmont Park), but he is better remembered as the fellow who bred Man o' War—and sold him as a yearling for $5,000....

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