Man o’ War, Kummer Up, 1920 Stuyvesant Handicap
Man o' War is pictured with jockey Clarence Kummer up at the 1920 Stuyvesant Handicap at Jamaica Racetrack.
Man o’ War ran in the Stuyvesant less than two weeks after his 1920 Belmont Stakes victory. He faced only the gelding Yellow Hand and won decidedly by eight lengths, carrying 32 pounds more than his opponent.
The first statement below from Elizabeth Riddle, wife of owner Samuel D. Riddle, speaks to the public’s fascination with the champion.
Requests to buy Man o’ War increased after his continued success. Although the second statement from Samuel D. Riddle was taken nearly a year before the Stuyvesant, the sentiment persisted throughout the Riddles' ownership of Man o’ War: they would not sell.
“Coming over on the train this morning there were a number of Philadelphians who were making the journey for the sole purpose of seeing Man o’ War in action. One of them said he had never been at a horse race in his life but had read and heard so much about the colt that he wanted to see him in motion.”
- Elizabeth Riddle, 19201
“He is a great race horse, probably one of the greatest we have seen in a decade, and I look for great things from him as a three-year-old. He will always remain my property. I feel like a great horse like this is in a way public property. The turf has a claim on him, and when he has finished his racing career I shall use him as a sire.”
- Samuel D. Riddle, 19192
1. H. L. Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1920). “Timely Turf Topics Aqueduct Meet: Personal Notes of Man o’ War – How the Horse of the Season Conducts Himself,” Evening Post
2. New York Times (August 24, 1919). “Man o’ War Takes Grand Union Hotel Stakes with Upset Second”