For most of the last 60 years or so, the male line of America’s greatest racehorse Man o’ War has been in serious jeopardy of extinction. Man o’ War’s best son, 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral, was a great sire, leading the American sire list in 1945, but War Admiral’s best son, 1949 champion 2-year-old Blue Peter, died before going to stud, and none of his other sons made much impression at stud. One of the late John Nerud’s greatest gifts to American racing and breeding was his purchase of Man o’ War’s great-grandson Intentionally, by Intent, by War Relic, by Man o’ War, as a stallion for William McKnight’s Tartan Farm in 1961. Intentionally’s best son In Reality rescued the Man o’ War line from certain death, climbing as high as second on the American general sire list in 1980, and his sons Relaunch, Valid Appeal, Believe It, Known Fact, Inchwood, all achieved some degree of success at stud in varying parts of the globe, and Relaunch’s grandson Tiznow and Known Fact’s great-grandson Dream Ahead are both prominent contemporary stallions. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales Valid Appeal’s branch of the line appears headed for certain extinction, however, and Limousine Liberal, its most recent and perhaps last high-class representative, will be unable to do anything about that since he is a gelding. His sire, Successful Appeal, was the best sire son of Valid Appeal, but he has failed to sire an obvious successor at stud. Bred in Florida by the late Harry Mangurian, Successful Appeal was a high-class sprinter-miler, who numbered the Grade 2 Withers, A.G. Vanderbilt, Kentucky Cup Sprint, and Cowdin Stakes among his eight wins from 22 starts from 2 through 4. Retired to Walmac South/Hartley-DeRenzo Stallions in 2001, he sired Grade 3 winner and Kentucky Derby second Closing Argument (out of Mrs. Greeley, by Mr. Greeley) in his first crop and was promptly transferred to Walmac’s Kentucky headquarters. Successful Appeal continued his good work in Kentucky and has sired 56 black-type winners from 772 foals age 3 and up, including Grade 1 winners J.P.’s Gusto (Call Her Magic, by Caller I.D.), Her Emmynency (Chic Danseur, by Joyeux Danseur), Appealing Zophie (Zophie, by Hawkster), and Successful Affair (Stone Flower, by Storm Bird). None of his sons have made any impact at stud, however. Bred in Kentucky by Mike and Katherine Ball, Limousine Liberal races in Katherine Ball’s colors for trainer Ben Colebrook. He has been a high-class sprinter right from the beginning of his career as a 3-year-old in 2015, winning his first two starts and running second to champion sprinter Runhappy in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop in his third start. His victory in the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship last Saturday was his ninth in 23 career starts, and his third at the Grade 2 level following his victories the last two years in the Churchill Downs Stakes. He is almost always there or thereabouts against the top sprinters in the country, and his earnings of $1,645,261 is tops among Successful Appeal’s progeny. Limousine Liberal is the only live foal out of his dam Gift of Gab, by In Excess. The Balls purchased Gift of Gab for $110,000 in the name of their Donamire Farm at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale, but she failed to win in eight starts. Gift of Gab, however, was a full sister to Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby winner Uncle Denny as well as stakes-placed Infinite Faith, by Dixieland Band. Their dam Gift to the World, by His Majesty, was half-sister to Grade 2 Cornhusker Handicap winner Gourami, by King’s Bishop, and stakes winner Deputy Sue, by Silver Deputy. It is not, however, a family full of resounding, household names in the Thoroughbred world, and the nearest thing to a celebrity from the family in living memory is the high-class 1950s handicapper and 1960s sire Sailor, by Eight Thirty out of Limousine Liberal’s seventh dam Flota, by Jack High. Although Tiznow has been a top sire for over a decade, he has yet to sire a son whose stud career promises to extend the venerable line of Man o’ War for another generation. Dream Ahead, who was a brilliant sprinter in Europe from the same generation as Frankel, has sired Group 1 winner Al Wukair among 17 black-type winners in his first three crops. Al Wukair stood his first season at stud this year at Haras de Boquetot in Clarbec, France, south of Deauville. He may well be the best chance for the survival of the Man o’ War line.