Great racers have a personality that shows their intelligence, and the many "fiery" tempered individuals have shown a gentle side to that special someone: Man o'War and Will Harbut, Seabiscuit and Pollard for example.

Some good tempered individuals would be Buckpasser and Affirmed,who seems so underestimated with the glut of seventies champions. Supposedly he was a true gentleman, even at the stud farm.

I don't know if a "fiery" attitude equals a more talented racehorse, but I do know that a horse with a nice disposition has a far better chance of having options for "useful employment" after the track. Of course, having lots of talent and a fabulous disposition would be the best of both! One of our racers is of moderate talent, but he plays "host" to underprivileged city kids once a month. He loves the attention and they adore him.

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Nah. An individual is an individual.

I've met plenty of racehorses who are as quite as a trail horse, and still go on to win. I'm not sure of this but it seems like Cigar and Skip Away were both even tempered.

I've also seen an equal number of aggressive horses so well. Point Given was one you forgot on your list.

Horses change once they're taken out of a free-roaming herd environment. And then only put back into the herd environment for works or a race.

I think it is more horse to horse. Eight Belles was sweet with Larry Jones, Rags to Riches would nip anybody that walked by her stall including Pletcher. Did anybody else see that video of Rags nipping that reporter?

Barbaro had a typical stallion temper. Chief Officer is quiet and did what is asked. Dazzling Dot was playful and goofy even through her final days when she couldnt even stand due to laminitis. They said Seabiscuit would walk the shedrow without a trainer in the morning to get his tack on (would you trust a stallion by himself?) and Man O' War was only gentle to Will.

Horses are just like people. Some are hot tempered, some could care less. Compare them to baseball or football players, some are so full of themselves and carry a temper, some are nice, grateful for a career and will sign autographs until the sun goes down.

Attitudes often come with breeding. whether fiery or docile, a true racehorse really knows when it is time to shine.  Of major concern these days should be the decreasing amount of horsemanship that may result in a fiery colt with top class potential to never make it due to poor handling/ riding.  I see a lot of good horses that could have done alot better had they been handled properly, whether it be at home or at the track.  A true horseman will be able to take that docile filly and get the most from her, while keeping your top-class filly in her best form.

Kind and gentle certainly does not mean slow and pokey on the track!  Our barn is full of laid-back individuals that are able to turn it on when race day comes.  They are making money and not just breaking even.  

We are a barn with Seattle Slew line and Devils Bag-both known for being kind individuals.  Their temperments certainly did well by them!  

I get so tired of the "crazy thoroughbred" mentality most people have-it's mostly about handling.  Yes, there are some nuttier than others, but if they are taught manners instead of just being taught to run, thoroughbreds are some of the most affectionate horses around. There will always be crabby, high strung horses, but there will always be crabby, high strung humans too!  It's how you treat them in response to that attitude, horses and humans that determines success or failure.

It's been my observation that the foals that I raised that had great personalities have gone on to be stakes winners.  Fillies that were very friendly (one that would hug me back) and colts that demanded my attention (at 3 days old).  All stakes winners, mostly graded stakes at that.

On the other hand some of the stakes winning race mares I have been around aren't always so pleasant...

Racing horsemen have been vainly searching for a formula  for a winner for ever since there was racing. There isn't one. If there was one, horses like John Henry would never win Grade I races against the supposed blue-blooded runners. It is this desire for some kind of secret formula that creates the emotional high prices in the auction ring(see: Green Monkey, and Seattle Dancer). Most horsemen do not look at reality - they just follow the trends.

It's my understanding that Secretariat was kind around people but he knew when it was game day.  My show horses are fiery when it's time to turn it on in the show ring but outside of that, they're kind and gentle.  I think it all has to do with your expectations of the horse.  I also think a horse that trusts its handlers and knows the limits will be better at trying to do what you ask of it.  Biting isn't a sign of a great racehorse, it's just bad manners.  I once had a colt that thought he would have some fun and bite me on the leg.  I immediately bit him on the lip hard enough to get his attention.  The look on his face was priceless.  He never bit any human after that but he was always alert, fiery and game.

There is ABSOLUTELY no correlation of temperament with either racing ability or CLASS. NONE WHATSOEVER.

Just go to a 5000 claiming race and you will get to see all temper you might wish for. It is simply put genetics and temperament is as much inherited as is the colour. No one would claim that a certain colour is an indication of racing ability.One of the most docile horse of modern times was Alber The Great but that did not stop him from being a Gr-1 winner and he was from the notorious RIBOT Sire Line.

One factor that is VERY important is how they are treated and brought up by their trainers  and in the case of a headstrong temperamental horse- that can mean the difference in them being top race horses or nothing.

I've heard that an old gypsy method of assessing the potential competitiveness of a colt or filly was to put a hand on the bridge of the horse's muzzle and shove down.  The competitive ones will resist and throw their heads right back up; the ones who aren't competitive will bow their heads without resistance.  I don't know if this is true, or if there's anything behind it in the way of validity; it sure would be interesting for someone to go to a yearling sale and try it out, record the responses, and see if there is any correlation with the racing success of the horses that were "tested."

Depends on the degree of temper. Some have tempers so bad it becomes a negative. I can think of a number of well bred individuals with huge potential that just were so obstinate and fiery that you couldn't accomplish anything with them. One or two that I know about ran in the Triple Crown races, that's usually when the trainer recommends gelding the colts. Remember the theory that horses have a herd mentality so the more docile would probably rather be in the pack than to be leaders. Some fire is laudable and makes them competitive too much can make them worthless just like being too docile can do the same. To me personality and heart plays more into how they compete.  We had a lovely mare, Stakes winner who seemed sweet unless you pushed the wrong buttons then she would bite, not ill tempered or fiery to an extreme, just knew what she wanted had tons of personality.

Katsan; "Remember the theory that horses have a herd mentality so the more docile would probably rather be in the pack than to be leaders." But removed from the herd mentality and treated/trained/stalled as individuals - then only placed in a herd situation during races once in awhile - Could greatly change a horse's attitude toward their position in the pack. A 2 minute race is hardly enough time to establish who's the alpha dog, as it were.

Snoopy: Horsemanship is doing anything BUT decreasing. The men and women out there today training and racing horses have much more information at their fingertips than anyone before them. Everyday people learn new things about the effects of their actions and different training techniques.

It's definitely an interesting question.  I agree that temper/competative spirit has to be combined with the ability to focus and be directed, otherwise they just run wild and blow the race on fighting the jockey.  It's frustrating to see a horse with a ton of speed who flies to pieces when the jock tries to control them.  One of my current pasture ornaments had that nasty competetive personality and good speed, but he never could tolerate anyone being in charge when he worked with other horses and was therefore just a menace.  Even after gelding he just wasn't mentally fit to race.  He retrained alright as an eventer, but even then he was always a risk for a meltdown if the rider didn't handle him just right.

I've known one very mellow and sweet horse who consistently won races.  He was a complete puppy in the stall and the pasture... verging on seeming dopey at times.  When he went onto the track, you could tell he only had running on his mind.  He retired to my place and was one of my favorite pasture ornaments for years... a real pleasure to work around.

I have a great friend from India who raised Multiple Eclipse Champion ASHADO [G1], $3,931,440.  She was so layed back that she had to be made to get up to go to the walker for her sale prep exercise.  She earned the nickname "Baby Whale" because she layed around like one all day long.  She is very, very sweet & gentle.  On the other hand, Triple Tiara winner SKY BEAUTY [G1], $1,336,000 was quite nasty.  I truly believe that personality & racing ability are not related.  It's like the human work force.  Some hard workers are sweet, kind people, some are really evil.  

I think you need look only as far as the '07 Belmont to see the effect that attitude can have on racing ability. There is a point in that race where Rags to Riches appears to be saying, "Pass me? The hell you will!" and then finding a new gear. If you compare the reputed personalities of Rags and Curlin... I feel that makes a case in and of itself.

I took an unbroken 10yo rescued Draft cross and trained her to foxhunt and event.  This mare is the MOST docile animal I've ever seen; my 4yo neices lead her around and she's so gentle it brings a tear to my eye.  However, once I take this mare off the van for a competition she is a fire-breathing dragon:  once she realizes we're about to compete she becomes very aggressive (ie, its very difficult even to get on her) and it reflects in our winnings.  The very second I pull her tack off after a show she's again gentle as a kitten.  It is a true night and day temperament for this horse that is triggered only in competitive circumstances.  

I see this attitude in the working/sport dog world...that in order to foster "courage" the puppy cannot be corrected for bad behavior or have much obedience training because it might hurt his spirit..as a 4 generation breeder of excellent police k-9s I respectfully say "poop". All living things need guidance and even=tempered correction (not punishment) in order to have the security of knowing what's expected from them and then delivering that performance with great power and confidence.

I'm not sure of the anwer to your argument, but I tend to root for the exceptionally difficult or the really nice horse.

Jazil was really nice, well shown in "The First Saturday In May".  Nafzger said Unbrideled was ridden by many more kids than jockeys. Round Table belongs there too.

I root for most of the Pulpits, just because they are Pulpits. Corinthian is the latest great example. Barbara Livingston has a nice picture of Halo on her site, with his muzzle -- just because he savaged his groom. The Shoe refused to even ride Sunday Silence for The Eagle. Bad boys, bad boys....Oh don't forget Musical Chimes, the filly. Bad girls too...

Then there are horses like Dr. Fager: good in the breeding shed, good in the barn and a piece of pure hell on the track.

Alleged needed two men and two lead shanks as a stallion and he wasn't mean. The lady who painted him said "I watched out for his teeth and his hooves". I've read Bold Bidder (Specacular Bid) was one of the meanest stallions ever, but know nothing about him

My favorite racehorse of all time was Northern Dancer, and I have heard that he could be pretty nasty. I'm not sure that's true, does anybody know? I've been involved with horses for most of my life, and I prefer a little spirit and attitude. Mares have always been my choice as a personal mount.

Yes jj but we are ultimately talking about how they run a race, that's the whole point here otherwise it's irrelevant to HORSE RACING. You can train them up to a race and their personality usually follows suit whether in races or around the barn. The horses with the really bad tempers are heck around the barn, at the training/breaking facility and usually have problems doing anything other than picking a fight with other horses or humans. There are a few rare exceptions. You have the horses that invariably buddy up and are usually the more docile or let's even say meek, you have the ones who need a stall mate usually the nervous horse. In the old days you had the goats, chicken etc, now it's usually a stable pony that they buddy up with. The only real exception to training etc is the morning glory and some of those can have bad tempers as well. Question for you, how many horses have you trained up to races?

A lot of the examples on here are more personality traits and adaptability to training that's why I'd rather have the horse with the personality traits, heart and adaptability to training. Most thoroughbreds are hot blooded by nature but the ones with the really bad tempers are called rogues. I like an assertive confident horse, not one that is flat out mean. Horses with bad tempers are very similar to people with bad tempers, you can't reason with those horses, of course you can't reason with some of the people either.

This is probably heresy, but just once I'd like to hear the opinions of people involved in horse racing and how these things affect race horses. No offense to all of you horse show, dog show,eventers but horse racing is a whole different game and observation from afar is just that. I know some on here are really involved in racing but they seem to get lost in the opinions of the ones who don't really know the game. I think the personality angle makes more sense and is being confuseed with temperament. IMHO as a long time handicapper and gambler of horse racing.

no way on earth to tell till they go to the gate...don't rattle your brain's with thing's you will never no the answer's to...take good care of all the critter's & you will be rewarded...LLTK!!!  

JJ...they may have more info but not many are picking up on it...make the trainer's test HARDER!!!

JJ...they may have more info but not many are picking up on it...make the trainer's test HARDER!!!

JJ...they may have more info but not many are picking up on it...make the trainer's test HARDER!!!

i believe that goodwin said it the best and to the point. there is no magic formula!

thoroughbreds are bred to run and everything after that fact is an intangible. conformation, physiology, temperment, etc. all come in to play, but i once read an article about breeding and the possibility that going less than 3x3 could produce a champion or an idiot. i agree with that.

mr.prospecter had a full brother in red ryder and i am sure that we have numerous examples of full siblings not achieving a thing when their brother or sister was a champion. same genes! were the pastures poor one year and lush the year the champion was foaled? who knows?

i have not had the volume of experience in raising thoroughbreds that many of you have had, but i had seven foals in five years by six different stallions. au point, bounding basque, cassaleria, superbity, garthorn and black tie affair.

they all were good race horses with an eclipse award winner thrown in for good measure. au point was by lyphard. i saw lyphard at gainesway and actually gave him chewing tobacco, which he loved. this was a small family line, but very robust.

the two foals i had by au point were small, but feisty as could be and one could get the impression that they were always thinking, which conveyed intelligence to me.

bonehead, the colt, is now 19, but his dam foaled him in the process of developing a recto-vaginal tear.his legs were emerging in the normal fashion, but his head was emerging from her rectum. my ex-wife, a delivery room nurse for many years, knew what to do and we gently repositioned him and out he came! i thought he was dead though, because he was cyanotic as could be, but i blew as hard as i could into his nostrils and he came around. this baby foaled at 8:30 p.m. and never laid down until 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

of course, we were up all night and worried about them, but the vet reassured us that neither one was going to die.

i watched them all night long, but i worried more about the foal, because i wanted to see him lay down. as a result, i called my vet again and he told me to push him down, which i did, but i laugh about it now, because i swear that he had springs on his feet!he was up in an instant and i then knew that this little guy was tough and that he was going to be o.k.

i don't want to bore anyone, but i mentioned this little story for dianne's benefit.

with exception of being at training facilities and at the track, i have had bonehead at home and if he has bitten me one time, he has bitten me 500 times and that is not an exaggeration.

my wife and i tried everything in the early stages and nothing worked. the first time i was on his back, i had him at a canter and he had his head turned so far to the left trying to get at my leg, that i thought that he was going to break his neck! i loved it!

of my foals, i have to say that he is my favorite. he is on the small side, but what he lacks in physical stature has certainly been made up for in his spirit and good natured playfulness. it matters not to me that he didn't make it at the track, i'd take a

horse like him any day.

in conclusion, i have to say that we all have an opinion about what a horse needs in order to be a success at the race track, but goodwin mentioned green monkey as an example of the tangible aspects of judging horseflesh. didn't the horse go for 16 million dollars at the sale? that i assume, was based on conformation and breeding and nothing more. we can't explain the rest in rational terms, because we can't possibly read into a horse's heart and brain to find out if he is a triple crown winner. that's up to the good lord!

Duh, I forgot to finish my thought before I submitted my comments...I do tend to think independent, stronger-minded animals perform/work better on the average, but extreme strong mindedness can get in the way of training...I guess in a race horse as long as you can point them in the right direction and hang on ;-) it's ok! Seriously, though, too hot-headed & they won't work with the jockey...brilliance is great as long as you can hold on until the finish line.

A lot of it depends on how much drugs they're on as well...

Temperment haS NOTHING to do with the way they will perform on the track or in the showring. I have had both,  hot tempered and mild tempered,  and it makes no difference.  The thing I have noticed between the two temperments is that,  of course,  the more mild tempered horses are easier to work with and train.  The hot tempered horses need to be worked hard daily or they will kill you in the barn if you don't. I had a hot tempered thoroughbred I rode in jumper classes and before a show I would have to get up around 3am to start taking the edge off him so when my class came up at 9am he would be ridable, and I literally had to work the living you know what out of him just so he wouldn't run through a fence at the show. But the more mild tempered horse I had was no problem before a horse show or any other event,  just saddle him and go, and he performed just as good or better than the hot tempered lunatic I had.  The hot tempered ones IMO,  are the ones that will kill themselves out there,  the milder ones are more careful about what they do, whether this has anything to do with intelligence I don't know.  Makes no difference in performance though.

Thank You Jordan A.  well put, racing aint no dog and pony show.

John Henry was world renowned for being meaner then anyone else and I know for a fact only his rider and groom ever touched him on the track.  I visited the Whittingham barn one afternoon and While I was talking to someone the hood of my sweatshirt became lodged in the mouth of a horse who was pulling rather insistantly to get me into the stall and when I finally broke free(which took some time) I turned and was face to face with the great Ferdinand. Some horses @the track are truly mean, but most I think are just feeling good and "playing". Don't forget when a horse is in a natural setting(wild or in a herd) they play by doing things that humans would mistake for being mean or nasty, they bite each other, kick, ect... Some lines do hold the possibility for bad temperment though.  I had a half brother to J O Tobin(who was considered to be rank and nasty) and during his career, Beau Monde(my beloved friend)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 my in the chest so hard that I could feel the blood running down my shirt. It is fair to say I WAS NOT paying attention when I got bit and the thumb and arm incidents could have been avoided had those victims been more careful around the horse. PS  we never did recover the thumb although the stall was stripped and searched... I loved that horse and I used to walk him every day and he followed behind me like a puppy dog all around the backside at Santa Anita. Oh and the n one time he was running at Hollywood and had a great chance to win the race, until Lafit Pincay came up next to him anad he turned his head and tried to bite Lafit's leg. He came back after the race and told the trainer"That horse is crazy, He try to bite my leg off!!"  I am sure it is something Lafit looks back on and laughs now , but he was mad at the time!

Temperment reveals alot about a horse. Look at Big Brown, he's not an agressive animal and it shows on the track. Confronted with a little adversity in a race he got crushed. Who would have guessed he would be so timid when faced with a little trouble. Now look at Curlin, he's a tiger and would eat Big Brown alive if Brownies connections would quit ducking him.

It's no wonder wherever Curlin goes Big Brown is nowhere to be found except racing against this years pathetic class of 3 yr. olds.

Temperament and ability (aka talent) have nothing in common. A bad temper does not a stakes winner make.

If temperament indicated racing ability, mean SOB's like Dynaformer (don't get me wrong, I love that boy) would have a Grade 1 victory for every time they bit, nipped, or attempted to bite someone.

Look at some of the sweethearts: Seabiscuit, Unbridled, Gato Del Sol, Runaway Groom, Affirmed, and Slew o' Gold. They weren't plodders by any stretch of the imagination. All of them were Grade 1 winners.

There seems to be a misconception that Secretariat and Slew were gentle boys. They weren't. I've heard people say things about both of them that aren't the pretty picture racing's always painted.

We had this one very nice claiming horse who won the Claimer of the Year back in the way back. Around 64. He bit everybody except my Mom, who though raised on a ranch is not a horse fan. Anyway, he would pin her up against the stall door expecting her to pet him and feed him treats. Never even tried to bite her. Wasn't hot tempered, was a gelding but had an odd personality. As far as Red and Slew. They weren't hot tempered from what I heard, but they were studs so therefore the studish behavior, explains a lot of the behaviors of the horses talked about here, the Alpha male and females. I can think of one recent TC runner who was so hot tempered and obstinate that as I said before the trainer treatened to geld him. The fillies and mares can get temperamental when they are in season. We have a hot tempered filly, just like her dam, grand dam etc. Nobody wants to do anything with her because she will kick, bite and try to savage you but is just a yearling, has the wild eye too. Royally bred but calling out the big guns my 6'4 horseman brother in law.  

Bellweather, have you taken the trainers test?

Lance, I have a friend who was at the sale when The Green Monkey was purchased. He had a superfast work under tack then it became a p***ing

contest between the head Dubi and the Demi. Notice Coolmore wasn't at FT since the Dubi's bought it? Just a bit of a feud going there according to the rumor mill.

jmewill, thanks for the support but I see the eventers, drafters, shower's, rescuers are just as obstinate as the horses they're talking about. I miss the old trainer that used to post and a couple of the owners. I think we have maybe one or two racetrackers now.

to Schabelli:

Are you certain Big Brown's Shoe hanging of his hind foot might have had a tiny bit to do with his undoing in the Belmont?  You try runnin with a nail stabbing you in the foot for a mile and a half and let me know how that works out for ya????

to Jordan A: I am not putting them down but I think alot of them don't understand some of the aspects of the racing game and I won't pretend to be an expert on their turf.

Mr. Ed said it best"A HORSE IS A HORSE OF COURSE..." UNLESS IT'S A RACE HORSE. I don't think in their racing state you could get many race horses around a show ring without any problems(without being retrained to do it of course) but the showe horses that will run b*lls out for a mile are most likely few and far between.

Tesio believed that quick or even bad temper is often allied to racing

ability, as in the case of St. Simon. But when it is an expression of

lack of courage, it should of course be avoided. In any case, he preferred

nervous energy to sheer strength as an ingredient of championship ability. He believed that a horse’s racing ability is the direct result of inherited

nervous energy, and that the energy pattern follows a cycle over several

generations, rising to a peak, then falling, and then remaining dormant

for a period before beginning to rise again.

Untrainable as a Whole Horse

Dr. John Lee gelded five-time Horse of the Year Kelso when he was training him as a two-year-old. That has been well known for years. Carl Hanford, who took over Kelso’s training at three, told me at Aiken, South Carolina, one winter that he never would have been able to train him as an entire horse:

“Watch him, he’s coming on the track right now, and he throws these numbers at you as a gelding.”

We were leaning on the outside rail and, as exercise rider Dickie Jenkins moved him out of a trot, “Kelly” propped and buck-jumped for a quarter-mile before leveling off into a smooth gallop.

A Terror in His Stall

It took me more than a decade to find out who cut John Henry, the two-lime Horse of the Year While he was in my office one day, asked Dr. Alex Harthill in jest “Is it true you gelded John Henry?” “Yes,” he replied defen sively, “and he needed it worse than any horse I've ever seen. He was a holy terror in his stall—would eat you alive, walk around his stall on his hind legs like a dog, and hang his front legs over his stall screen. Do every common thing he could to threaten you or hurt you. You’d never have heard of him if he hadn’t been gelded.”

Just a few example.

My background is having trained wild and domestic mammals for the entertainment industry. Temperment is decided by both environmental stimuli and genetics, both breed/species related and (recent)ancestry (and realize that individuals in a litter, and full siblings among hoofed animals may dramatically vary as to characteristics of aggression, timidity, and a range of social or anti-social behaviors.

A racehorse is not raised to become a pet, companion, or film star (a Trigger or Champion, for examples), so a disposition that is amenable to training, retains what is taught, and can be safely controlled or handled by humans are the fundemental requirements.

Understand that the police and military will not accept vicious or overly aggressive German Shepards for guard and attack work--the ideal temperment for training acceptance for these demanding jobs, is a happy, rock-solid, afraid-of-nothing type animal that would be the perfect companion and family pet.

Substandard temperment in racehorses is accepted because winning races overides all other considerations--hence the number of neurotic thoroughbreds in the racing game.

jmewill,

There was no nail "stabbing" Brownie in the foot in the Belmont. He came back with no soreness in the foot whatsoever. A close examination revealed no physical problems at all.

The fact of the matter is that Brownie broke out into the 2 horse and caused the shoe problem for himself anyway. His inexperience and timid nature caused him to spook at the start. In all previous races he had everything go his way from the time they opened the gates until the race was over. A starter on the track is not uncommon, I have seen many a low class claimer who didn't spook in the same situation.

All the problems Brownie encountered in the Belmont were of his own making. Kent D. took alot of flack for "his ride" when in reality he did a great job of trying to control a horse who clearly was having an off day.

I think class and intelligence can tell you more about the potential a horse has at making money at the track. If the horse knows when its time to work thats a good thing.

I know a horse that is so laid back you wouldn't think he could do much, but get him to the track and he is a professional winner. No problem in the paddock, gate, etc...

Like many athletes sometimes the loud mouth big talker isn't the winner. Its the intelligent one that lets his work do the talking that gets it done.

Schabelli, I thanked jmewill for his support on the non horse racing input, BUT I AGREE with you on Big Brown and the shoe, even Iavarone has backed off on that and Dutrow and Kent never agreed in the first place. Of course this was addressed ad nauseum on Jason's blogs. Sophiekea, I agree with you somewhat but a lot of the big name trainers say horses have personality and trainability like Katsan said. Scott Blasi and Wayne Lukas were both quoted in an article on the blood horse Mr. Ed I think it was and Wayne said something to the effect of there isn't a lot of dumb horses but a lot of dumb people (not an exact quote but you can search for it) his and Blasi's theory being it depends on who worked with them before the got to them how well they do. Blasi was big on the personality factor just like a lot of horesemen I've listened to.

Sorry for the misspells, took something for the fractured leg and kidced in too soon.

I agree that trainers are very important but we are talking temperment here. A trainer doesnt decide if the horse is going to be a lover or a biter, thats the horses decision mostly. I've seen some nasty horses win big and some sweet ones too.  But temperment has nothing to do with intelligence or class. Cost of the horse isn't a factor either in determining class. A nice horse is much more enjoyable to work with but that doesn't mean he is going to make anymore money than the bad tempered horse. Its just about what they do when they hit the track. And crazy fired up doesn't mean that it has more of a competitive  winning attitude.

Bad leg keeping me up and waiting for the next Earthquake.

Sopiekea, you were discussing intelligence and class not temperment. I referenced a BH article in which Lukas and Blasi basically said it's trainability and learning by repititon and also personality. They and all of the other race horse trainers I have read about or heard speak say the same thing. I'll take the word of Wayne Lukas over a non trainer any day.  And you know I bet if you ask a RACE HORSE TRAINER, they could probably tell you that they do have input as to whether the horse is a biter. Any trainer worth their day rate will try their darnednest to break them of that bad habit and my guess is if it interferes with them running and winning races, that horse won't be in the barn for long. I said on here I'm a handicapper but I still know a lot of trainers and owners and listen when they speak.

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i have trained a few race horses over the years all i know is the hot temperd ones definitely make more mistakes on  the track when racing. a level head goes a long way on race day