Behind the Bit

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 01:12 PM PST

We are a culture that loves "best of" and "worst of" lists. Recently the thoroughbredchampions.com bulletin board had a thread/discussion on who were the

meanest stallions in history. What a fun read! Here are the worst of the worst from that thread. No doubt there are other evil studs that weren't mentioned. Do you know of any?

The baddest boys in racing

Beau Monde "killed a horse on a flight, bit someone's thumb off, broke a hotwalkers arm in three places, picked his groom up by the middle of the back held him in the air and shook him like a rag doll, and bit me in the chest so hard that I could feel the blood running down my shirt."
Bold Bidder
Catrail "pulled a stallion man over his paddock fence and tried to kill him"
Corslew (attacked his owner)
Danzig "killed birds in his stall"
Devil His Due
Display "worst post horse in history"
Dixie Brass "bit groom, took a chunk out of him"
Dust Commander
Dynaformer "has bitten off fingers"
Festival of Light "put manager in the hospital." Gelded due to temperament.
Grey Sovereign
Halo "psychotic.."
Hastings "terror of the studmen"
Nevele Pride (interview -- see last question)
Personal Flag
Ribot "only one groom could go near him"
Round Table
Scarlet Ibis "took off a groom's thumb"
Seeking the Gold "a brute"
Silver Ghost handlers "carried baseball bats"
Sir Tristam "tossed a man over a fence"
Southern Halo
Spinning World (pictured above right)
Watch Your Step "lived in a steel halter"
Woodman

What is funny is that in reading through the discussions of these dangerous stallions, so many casual on-lookers describe the horses as being innocent-looking as they stand at the paddock gate. Many unsuspecting or foolish passers-by have lost body parts because they either didn't read, weren't forewarned, or didn't listen.

Bad boys in action
Sometimes pictures capture the badness, sometimes they don't.