American Flag (1922–1942) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse.

Background

American Flag was a chestnut horse bred and owned by Samuel D. Riddle, who owned his sire. He was sired by

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...

, out of the mare Lady Comfey. Riddle sent the horse into training with Gwyn Tompkins,

Racing career

As a two-year-old American Flag's most important performance was a win in the Manor Stakes at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

. Undefeated at age three, he had important wins in the

Withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

and

Dwyer Stakes The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a ...

plus he captured what became known as the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Belmont Stakes. His 1925 performances earned him Champion Three-Year-Old colt honors. Following the retirement of Gwyn Tompkins, American Flag was sent back to the track at age four under trainer George Conway. In the 1926 Suburban Handicap American Flag ran second to stablemate Crusader, who was another son of Man o' War.

Retirement and stud record

Retired to his owner's

Faraway Farm Faraway Farm, also known as the Daniel Ropp House, is a historic home located near Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It was built about 1865 and is a two-story, "L"-shaped brick dwelling. It is five bays wide and the ell is four bays ...

in Lexington, Kentucky, as a stallion, American Flag met with modest success. His most notable offspring was the colt Gusto who won the

American Derby The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and ra ...

Arlington Classic Stakes The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago. History The event was inaugurated ...

and the

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the s ...

, and through his mating to the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

Nellie Morse, the filly Nellie Flag who was the 1934 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and who became a significant broodmare for Calumet Farm. In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, owner Samuel Riddle gave American Flag to the

U.S. Army Remount Service A part of the Quartermaster Corps, the U.S. Army Remount Service provided horses (and later mules and dogs) as remounts to U.S. Army units. Evolving from both the Remount Service of the Quartermaster Corps and a general horse-breeding program unde ...

. The twenty-year-old horse died that fall at the Remount station near

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

References

American Flag's offspring at the Triple Crown database by Kathleen Irwin and Joy Reeves
{{Belmont Stakes Winners 1922 racehorse births 1942 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Belmont Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners History of the United States Army Thoroughbred family 7 Godolphin Arabian sire line