The Man o' War Stakes is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

American

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for horses aged four-years-old and older. It is run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

and is scheduled annually for early May at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

. The current purse is $400,000.

History

The event is named in honor of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Champion

Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great. Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to: Animals * Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...

who was selected as No. 1 in the

Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century ''The Blood-Horse'' (also referred to simply as ''Blood-Horse'' and displayed on its nameplate in upright all-capital letters without hyphenation as BLOODHORSE) is a news magazine that originated in 1916 as a monthly bulletin of the Thoroughbred ...

. The inaugural running of the event was on 24 October 1959 at the newly reopened

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

as the Man o' War Handicap over a distance of miles. The event attracted 23 entrants thus enabling NYRA to run the event as two split divisions with a record total purse of $225,100. The event attracted some of the finest long distance turf horses including British bred Tudor Era who was first past the post in the 1958 Washington D.C. International at Laurel but was disqualified. Tudor Era would win the Second Division of the event as the favorite defeating Marlow Road by 3 lengths with Anisado in third place in a time of 2:41 flat. In 1960 the event was held at Belmont Park with the 37-1 Harmonizing defeating

Bald Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

and the 1959 U.S. Horse of the Year

Sword Dancer Sword Dancer (April 24, 1956 – November 16, 1984) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He was the leading American colt of his generation an ...

would go on and win the Washington D.C. International and would be crowded U.S. Champion Older Male Horse. The event was moved back Aqueduct in 1961 at a longer distance of one and five-eighths miles with handicap conditions. NYRA by scheduling the event in October established New York as a logical and natural place for international and top US turf runners to prepare for the Washington D.C. International which was considered as the forerunner to the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

and the championship long distance turf race. The 1962 renewal of the event as the Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park was run with

Weight for Age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Henry John Rous, Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English ...

conditions. The winner, 20-1 longshot

Beau Purple Beau Purple (foaled in 1957) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is most famous for defeating the champion gelding Kelso and champion colt Carry Back in three of their four meetings. Background He was trained by George P. Odom until mid ...

who set a track record of 2:28.60 for the miles in defeating a group of highly talented entrants, including 1961 U.S. Horse of the Year and last winner of the

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...

Kelso in second, former English based The Axe II in third, who would win this event the following year, Wise Ship in fourth, who won this event in 1961 and the

1961 Kentucky Derby The 1961 Kentucky Derby was the 87th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 6, 1961. Full results References 1961 Kentucky Derby Derby Kentucky Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes rac ...

winner

Carry Back Carry Back (April 16, 1958 – March 24, 1983) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and was named the 1961 Champion Three-Year-Old. He won 21 of his 61 races, including the Metro ...

who finished fifth. Other starters included 1962

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

winner

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, T.V. Lark, Honey Dear, Guadalcanal and the 1960 winner of this event Harmonizing. The event was held at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967 while Belmont Park was under reconstruction. On return to Belmont Park in 1968 a host of champions would win the event. In 1969 the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n bred Champion Three-year-old

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

would win the event and would be crowned U.S. Champion Turf Horse. The following year, in 1970 Fort Marcy would finally win the event after four tries including twice second (1967, 1968) and third to Hawaii in 1969. In 1970 Fort Marcy also won the Washington D.C. International for the second time and was crowned U.S. Horse of the Year. The 1971 winner

Run the Gantlet Run the Gantlet (1968–1986) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and noted sire. Background He was out of the mare First Feather, whom owner Paul Mellon had purchased as a yearling at a then record price of $90,000 for a filly. ...

was also victorious in the Washington D.C. International and was crowned U.S. Champion Turf Horse. In 1972 the event was won by the six year old mare

Typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

and she would be crowned U.S. Champion Older Female Horse. In 1973 the first year the classification system was enacted, the event was set with

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

status. The 1973 winner was the U.S. Triple Crown Champion,

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

. Secretariat was to have his first start on the grass and nine days after he was beaten in the Grade 1

Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade Il stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward. The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Ra ...

over miles. Nonetheless, Secretariat would win the event by 5 lengths as the 1/2 odds-on favorite setting a new track record of 2:24. Secretariat would be awarded U.S. Champion Turf Horse and U.S. Horse of the Year. In 1974 the event was won by the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

based mare

Dahlia ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...

who had earlier campaigned in England and France. Dahlia would win the

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is . History The Cana ...

in her next start and would be crowned U.S. Champion Turf Horse. In 1977 NYRA introduced the Turf Classic over the same distance of miles that was held in November. The scheduling of the Man o' War Stakes would be affected in that NYRA would try and space out the time between the dates that the events were held in the fall. In 1978 the distance of the event was decreased by one furlong to the current distance of miles. The event that year was won by the French bred

Waya Waya (1974–2001) was a French Thoroughbred World Record holding racehorse who competed successfully in France and was a Champion in the United States. She was bred by the prominent French horseman Daniel Wildenstein through his breeding compa ...

and would win the Turf Classic two weeks later. In 1979

Bowl Game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

was able complete the treble in capturing the Man o' War Stakes, Turf Classic and Washington D.C. International. Such a feat earned

U.S. Champion Turf Horse honors for 1979. With the introduction of the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

in 1984 with the

the Man o' War Stakes become a major preparatory event in the early fall. Irish bred

Theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...

won the event in October 1987 at Aqueduct after also winning the Turf Classic which was scheduled earlier in September and then went on to also win the

Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to: Places United States * Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California * Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois *Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and ma ...

. Theatrical was crowned U.S. Champion Turf Horse for 1987. Other fine horses to have completed the Man o' War-Turf Classic double include 1988 winner Sunshine Forever, 1989 winner Yankee Affair and 1991 winner Solar Splendor who set a new stakes record of 2:12:01 as a 24-1 longshot on the inner turf track. Solar Splendor would repeat winning the event the following year on the main turf track this time setting a new course record of 2:12.45. In 1999 Val's Prince also completed the NYRA Turf double but failed to spark in the

finishing eleventh. The 2005 winner Better Talk Now won the event setting a new stakes record in 2:11.65. Better Talk Now had won the

in 2004 at Lone Star Park. In 2008 the Man o' War was moved from Belmont's fall schedule into its summer schedule, replacing the

Bowling Green Handicap The Bowling Green Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. History The i ...

in an attempt to more fairly represent turf competition. Also that year the conditions of the event were changed from

to stakes with allowances. In 2014 the event was scheduled in May and the conditions of the event were changed so that three-year-olds would not be allowed to enter. In 2017 the event was won by the five-year-old Irish bred mare Zhukova who started as the 9/10 odds-on favorite and set a new stakes winning margin by 6 lengths over Taghleeb in a small field of five starters in a time of 2:25.31 on a yielding track in rainy weather. Zhukova was the fifth mare to have had won the event after Dotted Line (1959),

(1973),

(1974) and

(1978). In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

, NYRA did not schedule the event in their updated and shortened spring-summer meeting. In 2024 the event was downgraded by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, i ...

to Grade II status. Also the event was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park.

Records

Time record: * miles – 2:11.65 – Better Talk Now (2005) * miles – 2:24.80 –

(1973) * miles – 2:42.60 –

Hill Rise {{Infobox thoroughbred racehorse , horsename = Hill Rise , image = , caption = , sire = Hillary , grandsire = Khaled , dam = Red Curtain , damsire = Russia , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1961 , country = USA , colour = Bay , breeder = G ...

(1965) Margins: * 6 lengths – Zhukova (IRE) (2017) Most wins: * 2 – Majesty's Prince (1983, 1984) * 2 – Solar Splendor (1991, 1992) * 2 –

Gio Ponti Giovanni "Gio" Ponti (; 18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher. During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more than a hu ...

(2009, 2010) * 2 – With Anticipation (2001, 2002) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

Rokeby Stable Rokeby Stables was an American thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Upperville, Virginia, involved with both steeplechase and flat racing. The operation was established in the late 1940s by Paul Mellon (1907–1999), who won the Eclipse Award ...

(1970, 1971, 1986) * 3 –

Phipps Stable Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps (September 18, 1940 – April 6, 2016) was an American financier, Thoroughbred racehorse industry executive, and horse breeder. Widely known by the nickname "Dinny," he was chairman of the family's Bessemer Trust until r ...

(2012, 2013, 2014) * 3 – Godolphin (1998, 2000, 2024) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 5 –

Jorge Velásquez Jorge Velásquez (born December 28, 1946) is a Panamanian retired thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Jorge Velasquez's career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States. In 1967 he won more race ...

(1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1979) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

MacKenzie Miller MacKenzie "Mack" Todd Miller (October 16, 1921 – December 10, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award cha ...

(1966, 1969, 1975, 1986)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an

entry Entry may refer to: *Entry, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States *Entry (cards), a term used in trick-taking card-games *Entry (economics), a term in connection with markets *Entry (film), ''Entry'' (film), a 2013 Indian ...

ƒ Filly or Mare
† In the 1975 running of the event One On The Aisle was first past the post but was disqualified for interference in the straight and was placed second. Snow Knight was declared the official winner of the event.

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Horse races in the United States Belmont Park Horse races in New York (state) Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1959 1959 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References