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WONDERFUL RACING .. CAREER a OF MAN . 0 WAR One of the Greatest Thoroughbreds in This or Any Other Country His Marvelous Achievements on the Turf Form an Enduring Monument to the Fame of the Late August Belmont as Breeder of Great Horses Man o War, the greatest of American race horses! Thus is the wonder horse of 1919 and 1920 proclaimed by many breeders, owners, trainers and others long identified with racing in various ways, whose years of experience have qualified them to speak with authority on matters pertaining to the thoroughbred and the turf. The same opinion is entertained by a great number, if not a majority, of the rank and file of racing enthusiasts. Of course,-there are differences of opinion on this subject, as there always will be when attempting to compare the outstanding horses of one age with another. Be that as it may, there is no. denying, the fact that Man o War was one of the greatest horses of all times and all coun tries. Man o Wars Racing Record " 1919. Bate. Track. Race. Dist. "Nr. Fin. Time. Track. Yaue. Tune 0...Relniont Park. ..Purse .-S st 115 1 :.-,0 fast $ .".00 Juut ! Kelniont lark. . .Kcene Memorial 5 l-2fst 115 I3 1:05 slow 1.200 June 21... Jamaica Youthful 5 1-2 f 120 li 3:0i good 3.850 June 23.. .Aqueduct Hudson 5-S ISO li 1:01 fast 2,825. July 5...Anueduct Trenumt :S-4 130 1 1:13 fast 4,800 Ail,. 2... Saratoga United States Hotel 3-4 130 1 1:12 fast 7,000 Ail,. 13... Saratoga Sanford Memorial 3-4 130 2i 3:11 "3 fast 700 Aug. 23... Saratoga Crand Union Hotel 3-4 130 H 1:12 fast 7,000 Aug-. 30.-. .Saratoga Huiieful 3-4 130 . 1 1:13 lo- 21.000 Sent. 13... Belmont lark. . .Futurity 3-4 st 127 1-h 1:11 fast 20,050 Total 10 : ..: ; $ 83,325 1920. , Date. Track. Race. Hist. AVr. Fin. TIipp. Track. Value. May lS....Iinilicu Preaknes 1 1-S 120 1J 1:51 fast 3,000 May 29 Relmoiit lark. . .Withers 1 lis 1 1:35 fast 4,825 June 12... Relmont lark... Relmont ..13-S 12i: 1 2:14 fast 7.950 June 22. . .Jamaica Stuyvoant Handicap 1 135 Is 1:41 good 3.S50 July 10 Aqueduct Rwyer 1 1-S 120 1U 1:49 fast 4.850 Aug. 7... Saratoga Miller 1 3-10 131 1 1:50 fast 4,700 ; Aug. 21. ..Saratoga Travers 1 1-4 129 l-l 2:01 fast 9,275 Sept. 4. ..Relmont lark. . .Rawrence Realization 1 5-8 120 l1,,l 2:40 fast 15.040 Sept. 11. ..Itelmont lark. . .Jockey Club 1 1-2 118 1" 2:28 fast 5.S50 Sept. 18... Havre de .race. IOtomac Handicap 11-10 13S in 1:44 fast O.S00 " Oct. 12 Kenilworth Kenilwortli lark Uold Cup.l 1-4 120 lr 2:03 fast S0.000 Total 11 00,140 RECAPITULATION. Year. Age. Sts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. TInp. "Won. 1919 -.2 10 9 1 0 0 $ S.,325 1920 3 11 11 0 0 0 100,140 Totals 2 21 20 1 0 0 ?2 19,405 MAN 0 WARS AMERICAN TIME RECORDS 07 1920. Date. Track. Stake. l.st. "Weight. Time. Jlav 29 Relmoiit lark... Withers : 1 118 1:35 July 10 Aqueduct Dwyer . 1 1-S 120 1:49 June 12 Relmoiit lark. . .Relmoiit 1 3-S 120 2:14 Sept. 11 Relmoiit lark. . .Jockey Club , 1 1-2 118 2:28 Sept. 4 Relmoiit lark. . .Lawrence Realization 1 5-S 120 2:40 It was the late Major August Belmont who bred this marvelous racer but, through the irony of fate, was denied the privilege of seeing the son of Fair Play Mahubah carry his famous Maroon and Scarlet jacket during his victorious career on the turf. Because of the great Worlds War, Major Belmont disposed of all yearlings in 191S, instead of retaining them as was his custom, in order to devote his entire time to the service of his country. Thus it was that S. D. Biddle became the owner of Man o War on his bid of 55,000, and what a bargain he got! Surely the wonderful achievements of this great thoroughbred are among the brightest jewels in the diadem that crowned Major Belmonts efforts as a breeder of thoroughbred horses. It is indeed appropriate at this time to recall the deeds of that mighty race horse and with that end in view, Daily Bacing Form here presents a summary of Man o Wars . racing career: J . 1 Man o War had his first race, educational, for a purse at Belmont Park, June C, 1919. Most, but not all, of our superlatively great ones started in their business of racing in the same way. Colins debut was in a purse race at Belmont Park, May 29, 1907. Artful began in a purse at Saratoga, August 10, 1901, : in which she was held to let her stable companion, Dreamer, win. Sysonbys "begin-. ning was in a purse at Brighton Beach, July 14, 1901. Back of these more modern celebrities, Hanover, Hindoo and Luke Blackburn all made their first starts in stake races. Hanover won the Hopeful Stakes at Monmouth Park, July 3, 1SSG, as his introduction to the public. Hindoo gave the first illustra- tion of his wonderful prowess in winning the Colt and Filly Stakes at Lexington, May 13. 1SS0, and Luke Blackburn ran second to Knight Templar in the Sweepstakes for Two- Year-Olds at Lexington, May 12, 1S79. All of these, except Luke Blackburn, were superb as two-year-olds, but Luke was no great hero at that age. However, it was different when he- was a three-year-old, his trainer, Jimmy Bowe, saying of him long afterward, "Luke Blackburn was a h 1 of a race horse." Continued on second page. CAREER OF MAN 0 WAR Continued from first page. The excellence oC Man o "War had been on Dame Rumors tongue long before his first race, so he was a 3-to-5 favorite, and when he ran its five-eighths straight in 59 seconds at Belmont Park and won from Retrieve and Neddam by six lengths, he only did what all concerned expected him to do. Thereafter the big prizes of the turf were his aim and prey. June 0 he met On Watch, Anniversary, Ralco, My Laddie and Hoodwink in the Keene Memorial Stakes at Belmont Park, five and a half furlongs straight, with the track slow. As a 7-to-10 favorite should, he made short work of this and won in a canter by three lengths in 1:05, with On Watch second and Anniversary third. In both of these races he carried 115 pounds. .Tune 2i at Jamaica he took up 120 pounds in the Youthful Stakes, at five and a half furlongs, and won in 1 :06 by as far as Loftus cared to have him. He was at 1 to 2 post price. On AVateli, 108 pounds, was second and Lady Brummel, 105, third. After that his penalties came into play to make his weight 130 pounds in all his races, except in the Futurity Stakes, when he carried 127. From Jamaica he moved over to the Aqueduct track, where on June 23 he won tho Hudson Stakes at five-eighths in 1:01. pulled up, with Violet Tip, 109 pounds, second. This he followed up on July 5 by going three-quarters for the first time, when he won the Tromont Stakes in 1:13. Owners of other two-year-olds were shy about racing against Man o War by this time, so he vir-i tually had a walk-over for this historic race, Ralco and Ace of Aces being his only opponents. Then he fared forth to Saratoga to see what the proving ground of American racing held in store for him. HJS ONLY DEFEAT. There he ran four races, and there, in ona of the four, he met the only defeat that dims his bright career. It was undeserved, but there it is. His first adventure there was in the 0,000 United States Hotel Stakes at three-quarters. Here for the first time he met some worthy opponents in Upset, Homely, Bonnie Mary, Carmandale and others, a consideration that gave some of his backers as good as 7 to 5, although he went to the post at 9 to 10. Making light of his 130 pounds, he was out by himself all the way and won under restraint in 1 :12, with Upset, 115 pounds, second, and Homely, 112, .third. This was convincing, but his next race brought about his downfall to the dismay and perplexity of the believers in his invincibility. The race was the Sanford Memorial at three-quarters, run August 13. Man o War went to the post at 11 to 20, with Golden Broom second choice at to 1. The favorite was away next to last and moving up slowly, while Golden Broom set a tremendous pace and led for the first ! half in :46. Then he was done and Upset, carefully nursed by "W. Knapp, took up th2 running and eventually won by half a length in l:llVf the fastest three-quarters run at the meeting by a two-year-old. To say nothing worse, Man o War was given what a baseball player would call a "bonchead" ride by Loftus, despite which he was second and gaining rapidly at the finish. Golden Broom was third. He also carried 130 pounds, while Upset and The Swimmer had up 115 pounds ; Captain Alcock, Armistice and Donnacona 112. It was a racing tragedy and is generally believed to have had its part in the denial nf, a license to Loftus the following year , by the Jockey Club. This belief, however, may not be correct. That Mr. Riddle did not think there was anything criminal about tho ride may be inferred from the fact that he continued to use Loftus on his master colt to the end of his two-year-old racing. That the general racing public had their confidence in Man o AVar in nowise abated by his defeat, was demonstrated when he came out August 23 to race for the Grand Union Hotel Stakes, and went to the post at 11 to 20. His late conqueror. Upset, was at S to 1, but earried 125 pounds, instead of 115. Man o AVar took a quick lead and won pulled up by a length in 1:12, with Upset second and Blazes third. Then came the great prizes of the year for horses of his age, the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga. August 30, and the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park, September 13. In the Hopeful he was waited with behind Constancy to the stretch, then strode to the front and won in a canter by four lengths, with Cleopatra second and Constancy third. The track was slow that day and Man o War ran the three-quarters of the race in 1 :13. The AVhit-ney pair. Upset and Dr. Clark, were among those unplaced. Man o AVar won the Futurity in his usual uncompromising fashion, running its three-quarters in 1:11, and winning under a pull, with John P. Grier second and Dominique third. The latter, a fast colt, led at a great pace for about a quarter then Man o AVar said good-bye to him and went on about his business of winning. The cream of two-year-old form was in that race, the unplaced ones being Cleopatra, Upset, Paul Jones. On AVateh, Dr. Clark, Captain Alcock and Miss Jemima. Then Man o War went into Avinter quarters, winner of 3,325, and the reputation of being the greatest since Colin had swept everything before him. Man o AVar throve famously through the winter. Everybody expected great things from him in 1920, and lie disappointed nobody. In fact, he gathered to himself more adulation and widely diffused interest than any American race horse of modern times. ONE TltlUMPH AFTER AXOTHEK. His career as a three-year-old is known to all men and does not need so mueh recapitulation. It was brilliant in the extreme and a succession of unvarying triumphs in which, he galloped away with the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico ; AVithers Stakes and Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park; Stuyvesant Handicap at Jamaica ; Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct ; Miller Stakes and Travers Stakes at Saratoga: Lawrence Realization Stakes and Jockey Club Stakes at the Belmont fall meeting; Potomac Handicap at Havre de Grace, and wound up by taking the ,000 special race from Sir Barton at Kenilworth Park. In all of these races there was no doubt of his immense superiority. Only once was his neck stretched. That was when John P Grier held him for the better part of the running of the Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct, July 10, 1920. But he was carrying 126 pounds to 108 on John P. Grier, and the AAhitney colt, besides being then at his best, was no mean racer himself, probably being the second best of his age of the year. There is no definite way in which to compare him with the great horses of other times here or abroad. They were supreme in their days. He was in his. If in England in his American form he could have won th? Epsom Derby and the Don-caster St. Leger. He was a first-class race horse and a really first-class race horse only crops up at long intervals, here or elsewhere. Few of the truly greats of former- years made track records. They did not have to to win. But Man o AVars speed was so superlative that he established a, number of. new ones when simply allowed to gallop . along in his own inimitable way without any urging. As a racer his career is akin in some . ways t: that of the ever-famous liorse Isinglass. .Each was beaten onee. Isinglass is the greatest money winner of record in Eng- r land. Man o AVar was the greatest money winner of American turf history at the time of his retirement from racing. But Isinglass was not restricted to racing as a two-year-old and a thro.-year-old. More than half or his 80,675 xi is won when he was a four-year-old. Had Man o AVar raced after his three-year-old year there is no telling liow . muck morq lie would, liave won
