Legend Man o' War a cultural icon in the 1920s
Aug 24, 2013 21:42:03 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on Aug 24, 2013 21:42:03 GMT -5
This was in today's Saratogian. Yes - He won The Travers!
Racing legend Man o' War a cultural icon in the 1920s
Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013
By BRIEN BOUYEA
The Roaring Twenties were a golden age for sports heroes in America. Babe Ruth emerged as a cultural icon on the baseball diamond, swatting prodigious home runs and making World Series victories a rite of passage for the New York Yankees. In the prize ring, Jack Dempsey was pulverizing opponents as heavyweight champion of the world while gaining the adoration of countless fans. The gridiron could boast of Red Grange, the “Galloping Ghost” who established himself as the National Football League’s first superstar and was the key figure in the pro game realizing acceptance in mainstream America.
However, at the dawn of the 1920s, no athlete in the land was more revered than horse racing’s greatest marvel, the mighty Man o’ War. Ruth had charisma. Dempsey had power. Grange had speed. Man o’ War had all of those attributes. But instead of being a galloping ghost, Man o’ War was an equine freight train.
Many of the great tales of yesteryear have lost their perception of authenticity through the procession of time, as myth and reality became intertwined and the difference between fact and fiction became indistinct. But the celebrated yarns spun in regard to the immortal Man o’ War are not tarnished by even the slightest shroud of doubt. The stunning accomplishments of the indomitable chestnut colt dubbed “Big Red” are well chronicled in the annals of racing.
In 1920, Man o’ War was a perfect 11-for-11 — including a blistering performance in Saratoga’s signature race, The Travers — to conclude a two-year run in which he won 20 of 21 starts and compiled an all-time earnings record of $249,645. When all was said and done, Man o’ War had established three world records, two American records, seven track records, and equaled another track standard.
Man o’ War was a star everywhere he went, especially at Saratoga, where he thrived in the summers of 1919 and 1920. The Spa was the stage on which Man o’ War delivered some of his most breathtaking performances, and also the place he suffered his lone defeat, an event that is still regarded as one of the most controversial in the sport’s history almost a century later.
Bred by August Belmont II, Man o’ War was foaled on March 29, 1917, at Nursery Stud near Lexington, Ky. He was blessed with quality bloodlines, as his sire, Fair Play, was an accomplished runner (eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame). His dam, Mahubah, was well thought of in breeding circles even though she was never a star on the track. Man o’ War’s grandfather was the ill-tempered 1896 Belmont Stakes winner Hastings, who was known to bite and ram other horses during races.
Belmont’s military involvement in World War I prompted him to sell his entire 1917 yearling crop. Avid sportsman Samuel Riddle, a Pennsylvania textile manufacturer, purchased Man o’ War for $5,000 on the advice of Hall of Fame trainer Louis Feustel at Saratoga’s 1918 yearling sales in what turned out to be one of the greatest bargains in racing history.
Full article
www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/08/24/sports/doc5217c5495dabd413893299.txt
Racing legend Man o' War a cultural icon in the 1920s
Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013
By BRIEN BOUYEA
The Roaring Twenties were a golden age for sports heroes in America. Babe Ruth emerged as a cultural icon on the baseball diamond, swatting prodigious home runs and making World Series victories a rite of passage for the New York Yankees. In the prize ring, Jack Dempsey was pulverizing opponents as heavyweight champion of the world while gaining the adoration of countless fans. The gridiron could boast of Red Grange, the “Galloping Ghost” who established himself as the National Football League’s first superstar and was the key figure in the pro game realizing acceptance in mainstream America.
However, at the dawn of the 1920s, no athlete in the land was more revered than horse racing’s greatest marvel, the mighty Man o’ War. Ruth had charisma. Dempsey had power. Grange had speed. Man o’ War had all of those attributes. But instead of being a galloping ghost, Man o’ War was an equine freight train.
Many of the great tales of yesteryear have lost their perception of authenticity through the procession of time, as myth and reality became intertwined and the difference between fact and fiction became indistinct. But the celebrated yarns spun in regard to the immortal Man o’ War are not tarnished by even the slightest shroud of doubt. The stunning accomplishments of the indomitable chestnut colt dubbed “Big Red” are well chronicled in the annals of racing.
In 1920, Man o’ War was a perfect 11-for-11 — including a blistering performance in Saratoga’s signature race, The Travers — to conclude a two-year run in which he won 20 of 21 starts and compiled an all-time earnings record of $249,645. When all was said and done, Man o’ War had established three world records, two American records, seven track records, and equaled another track standard.
Man o’ War was a star everywhere he went, especially at Saratoga, where he thrived in the summers of 1919 and 1920. The Spa was the stage on which Man o’ War delivered some of his most breathtaking performances, and also the place he suffered his lone defeat, an event that is still regarded as one of the most controversial in the sport’s history almost a century later.
Bred by August Belmont II, Man o’ War was foaled on March 29, 1917, at Nursery Stud near Lexington, Ky. He was blessed with quality bloodlines, as his sire, Fair Play, was an accomplished runner (eventually being elected to the Hall of Fame). His dam, Mahubah, was well thought of in breeding circles even though she was never a star on the track. Man o’ War’s grandfather was the ill-tempered 1896 Belmont Stakes winner Hastings, who was known to bite and ram other horses during races.
Belmont’s military involvement in World War I prompted him to sell his entire 1917 yearling crop. Avid sportsman Samuel Riddle, a Pennsylvania textile manufacturer, purchased Man o’ War for $5,000 on the advice of Hall of Fame trainer Louis Feustel at Saratoga’s 1918 yearling sales in what turned out to be one of the greatest bargains in racing history.
Full article
www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/08/24/sports/doc5217c5495dabd413893299.txt