Flashback: Man o’ War blazes to victory in the 1920 Preakness

One hundred years ago, the racing world was abuzz with excitement, counting down the days until the $30,000 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Held at the time over 1 1/8 miles, the Preakness had been gaining a reputation as one of the most coveted spring prizes for 3-year-olds, and the 1920 renewal promised to be the most anticipated in recent memory.

At the center of the hype was a powerful, awe-inspiring chestnut colt named Man o’ War. The powerful son of Fair Play had dominated the juvenile division in 1919, winning nine of his 10 starts while toting 130 pounds to victory on five occasions. Rich prizes like the Hopeful Stakes and Futurity saw Man o’ War win eased up in unchallenged fashion, and he might have gone undefeated for the season if not for an infamously troubled trip in the Sanford Stakes, which saw him fall a half-length short of catching the aptly named Upset.

In keeping with the tendencies of the era, Man o’ War did not embark on a winter racing campaign to prepare for the spring classics. In fact, owner Samuel Riddle elected to withhold Man o’ War from the Kentucky Derby, citing the race’s early date and 1 1/4-mile distance as too demanding for a developing 3-year-old.

Instead, Man o’ War took aim at the Preakness, which would mark his first race around two turns and his first run since the previous September. In theory, Man o’ War might have been at a disadvantage facing rivals who had gotten a race or two under their belts earlier in the spring, but contemporary newspaper columnists doubted whether Man o’ War would be very rusty.

O’Neil Sevier, writing in The Washington Post of April 4, 1920, noted how Man o’ War “wintered at Glen Riddle farm, which is in Worcester county on Maryland’s famed eastern shore,” where the colt “had the benefit of a milder climate and better conditions for training” than many of his anticipated Preakness rivals.

Furthermore, Man o’ War’s public workouts leading up to the Preakness were eye-catching. “At Belmont Park, where he has received the last three weeks’ preparation, his actions have been so convincing that there is not a trainer on the grounds but expects him to come home practically alone [in the Preakness],” an article reads in the Montreal, Canada, The Gazette of May 15, 1920. “… It is not anticipated a very large field will go to the post against Man o’ War, but it will be select and probably number about 10, there being many eligible that will not risk the starting fee to run against Man o’ War.”

The Gazette didn’t miss the mark by much. Eight 3-year-olds turned out to face the reigning juvenile champion, including his old nemesis Upset, fresh off a narrow defeat in the Kentucky Derby. On Watch, Donnacona, Blazes, and Wildair — third, fifth, sixth  and eighth in the Derby — joined Upset in making the trip from Louisville to Baltimore, providing a stiff test for Man o’ War’s first run of the season.

Or at least, it would have been a stiff test had Man o’ War been a mere mortal. But the racing world already suspected Man o’ War was something special — a superstar in the making — and in the Preakness, he delivered on those expectations with a resounding performance.

Man o’ War’s strategy was simple: He never gave his rivals a chance to challenge. The Daily Racing Form of May 19 told the story in the official result chart: “MAN O’ WAR rushed to the front in the dash to the first turn and, setting a terrific pace, killed off KING THRUSH in the first three-quarters, then had abundant speed in reserve when UPSET challenged in the homestretch.”

“Terrific pace” was far from an exaggeration. Man o’ War sprinted straight to the lead with King Thrush in pursuit and carved out fractions of :23 2/5, :47 3/5, 1:12 2/5, and 1:38 1/5. Nowadays, such splits might seem modest, but for the era they were blazing. Earlier in the afternoon, a 4 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds had elapsed with fractions of :23 3/5 and :48 4/5. Furthermore, the track record for a mile was just 1:39, so Man o’ War unofficially obliterated the local standard while posting 1:38 1/5.

Indeed, had Man o’ War been asked for his best run down the homestretch, he might have broken the record for 1 1/8 miles as well. As it was, Man o’ War cruised across the finish line 1 1/2 lengths clear of Upset in the time of 1:51 3/5, missing the track record by just three-fifths of a second.

“Marylanders have seen some of the greatest thoroughbreds of American history perform at Pimlico,” wrote C. Edward Sparrow in the Baltimore The Evening Sun of May 19, 1920, “… but it was the consensus of expert opinion, after watching Man o’ War win the Preakness yesterday at Old Hillltop, that nothing like him ever has been seen in action.”

It was a powerful performance, made all the more remarkable by the fact Man o’ War was returning from an eight-month layoff and stretching out beyond six furlongs for the first time. Any lingering doubts about Man o’ War’s ability to handle classic distances were thus dismissed; clearly, the juvenile champion could handle any test the sport might devise.

“Few champion 3-year-olds have begun their 3-year-old season as auspiciously as Man o’ War,” Sparrow continued. “He began right where he left off, the champion of champions. It looks as if he will continue to bowl over everything he meets during the remainder of the racing season. … A few more such races as yesterday will break the heart of more than one noble thoroughbred.”

In the end, Man o’ War went 11-for-11 in 1920, dominating his rivals with an extraordinary display of brilliance. By the end of the year he had broken eight track records, with the Preakness ranking as perhaps the least impressive of his triumphs — which is as great as testament as any to Man o’ War’s unparalleled, unequaled, and unprecedented talent.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.