seabiscuit might be a better choice. he was sired by hardtack, a venerable and noteworthy champion in his own right. the owners wanted to name him something like "hardtack's son" but the colt was so small, they demurred. he was a very hard sell but he turned out to be a spectacular athlete.
there's a fantastic true book about him named (wait for it.....) "seabiscuit".
read the book and you will absolutely fall in love with this animal and his incredible personality and his equally incredible journey.