What did he do exactly?
This is the slightly more famous racehorse Man o' War:
From 1919-1921, Man o' War was the dominant racehorse of his time, winning almost all of his races, some by astounding margins. At least one of his records still stands today (Winning the Lawrence Realization Stakes in 2:40, which lowered the existing record by a full 6 seconds).
I say he won "almost" all of his races. He compiled an impressive 20 wins in 21 races...the only race he lost (and there are stories of impropriety by the starting gate operators) was the Sanford Memorial Stakes. As the story goes, the horse was still preparing, facing backwards on the track when the barrier was removed and the race began. Despite this, Man o' War still only lost the race by a half length. The winning horse's name was Upset.
Up until that time, the word "upset" had really only meant something unsettled or an angry or distraught emotion. After this race, the horse's name became part of sporting lexicon. Now, any competitor who defeats a heavily favoured opponent is said to have "Pulled an Upset."
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