Man O' War

Of all the great horses which have thundered over the American Turf, Man o' War remains the standard by which thoroughbreds are judged. Foaled east of this marker, on the farm then known as August Belmont's Nursery Stud, Man o' War was purchased as a yearling at Saratoga by S. D. Riddle and was trained by Louis Feustel. A 2-year-old champion, he won 9 of 10 races, finishing second once to Upset, a horse he defeated soundly in their 6 other meetings. As a 3-year-old in 1920, he was unbeatable in 11 races; he did not run in the Kentucky Derby but won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He set or equaled 8 track records, establishing American records for 1, 11/8, 13/8, 11/2 and 15/8 miles, winning the latter by 100 lengths. In his last race, he defeated older champion Sir Barton, first Triple Crown winner, by 7 lengths, and was retired as a 3-year-old with then-record earnings of $249,465 from his 20 victories in 21 races. He then became one of America's greatest sires. See other side.

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Man o' War (1917-1947) - Champion and Sire of Champions - Standing at S. D. Riddle's Faraway Farm about 10 miles east of this marker, Man o' War, "as close to a living flame as a horse can be," passed on his great racing ability to his progeny. Man o' War topped the sire list in 1926 when his offspring earned a then-record $408,137 in purses. In his 22 years at stud, Man o' War sired 379 foals, of which 220 were winners, and an extraordinary number, 64, were stakes winners, including War Admiral, 1937 Triple Crown winner and leading sire of 1945; Battleship, winner of the 1934 Grand National in America and of the 1937 Grand National Steeplechase in England; American Flag, Crusader, Bateau, Scapa Flow, Edith Cavell, Maid at Arms, and Florence Nightingale. Man o' War also sired Blockade, three-time Maryland Hunt Cup winner; and Holystone, a race winner later developed into a champion show jumper. Although limited by the quantity and quality of mares bred to him, Man o' War still proved to be an exceptional sire.