Editing Man o' War (section)

===1919: Two-year-old season===
Man o' War made his debut at Belmont Park on June 6, 1919, in a [[maiden race]] over {{convert|5|furlong|m|spell=in}}. At the time, horses raced clockwise at Belmont Park rather than counter-clockwise like all the other American tracks of the day, so horses had to learn to race in both directions. This practice ended in 1922 after Man o' War retired.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why is the horse running in the opposite direction? 'Hey, why not,' asks Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/why-is-the-horse-running-in-the-opposite-direction-hey-why-not-asks-torontos-woodbine-racetrack |website=National Post |access-date=22 July 2018 |date=7 June 2016|last1=Brean |first1=Joseph }}</ref> He won his first race by six lengths, then three days later was entered in the [[Keene Memorial Stakes]] at a distance of {{convert|5+1/2|furlong|m}} on a muddy track at Belmont Park. At this point in his career, Man o' War had not yet learned how to start quickly but soon settled into fourth place. With an eighth of a mile remaining, jockey [[Johnny Loftus]] urged him to run and the horse responded by pulling away from his rivals to win by three lengths.<ref name=Keene>{{cite news|title=MAN O'WAR SAILS IN AN EASY WINNER; Takes Keene Memorial by Three Lengths|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/06/10/archives/man-owar-sails-in-an-easy-winner-takes-keene-memorial-by-three.html|website=The New York Times|date=10 June 1919|access-date=March 27, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Twelve days later, Man o' War followed up with another win in the [[Youthful Stakes]] at [[Jamaica Race Course]]. Two days after that, he swept to victory in the [[Hudson Stakes]] at [[Aqueduct Racetrack|Aqueduct]] to record his fourth win in 18 days. Less than two weeks later, he returned to win the [[Tremont Stakes]] at Aqueduct on July 5.<ref name=Upset>{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=J. Keeler|title=Saratoga's Upset of the Century|url=https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2016-saratogas-upset-the-century|website=www.americasbestracing.net|access-date=July 21, 2016}}</ref>

He was then shipped upstate for the summer meet at [[Saratoga Race Course]], where the competition would be much fiercer. He made his first appearance there in the [[United States Hotel Stakes]] on August 2. Despite getting a bad start and carrying 130 pounds, Man o' War won by two lengths in his first meeting with a well-regarded colt named [[Upset (horse)|Upset]].<ref name="USHotel">{{cite web|title=MAN O' WAR HEADS FINE FIELD AT SPA|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/08/03/archives/man-o-war-heads-fine-field-at-spa-twoyearold-scores-impressive.html|website=The New York Times|access-date= March 27, 2017|date=August 3, 1919}}</ref>
[[File:Man o' War in the Sanford.jpg|thumb|Man o' War suffers his sole defeat to Upset in the Sanford Stakes]]
His next start was the [[Sanford Stakes|Sanford Memorial Stakes]] on August 13, where he went off as the odds-on favorite with Upset as the third betting choice. This race is notorious in racing history as Man o' War's only defeat, playing a part in developing Saratoga's reputation as the "Graveyard of Champions".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pedulla|first1=Tom|title=Exaggerator to test Saratoga's reputation as the Graveyard of Champions|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-travers-stakes-20160826-snap-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 22, 2017|date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> In the early 1900s, there were no starting gates. Horses circled around and then lined up behind a piece of webbing known as the barrier and were sent away when it was raised.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ours|2006|p=40}}.</ref> In the Sanford, most sources state that Man o' War was still circling with his back to the starting line when the barrier was raised (though some accounts say he was turned only slightly sideways).<ref>{{Harvnb|Ours|2006|p=102}}.</ref> What is undisputed is that Man o' War had a terrible start, which ''[[The New York Times]]'' attributed to the absence of the regular starting official. The start was delayed for several minutes as other colts repeatedly broke through the barrier and the starter finally released the field when only the horses near the rail were ready. As a result, Man o' War was far behind the other starters. Loftus then put him in a bad position, getting boxed in by other horses, then checked by tiring horses. Despite this, Man o' War came close to winning, losing by about a neck{{efn|The chart in ''The New York Times'' shows the margin as a neck while the ''Daily Racing Form'' shows the margin as a half-length.}} while conceding 15 pounds to Upset.<ref name=Upset /><ref name=Sanford>{{cite web|title=SANFORD MEMORIAL IS WON BY UPSET; Man o'War Furnishes the Real Thrill of Race|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F07E7D81338EE32A25757C1A96E9C946896D6CF&legacy=true|website=The New York Times|access-date=March 27, 2017|date=August 14, 1919}}</ref><ref name=DRFUpset />

It is sometimes erroneously thought that Upset's unexpected win popularized a new phrase in sports (meaning an underdog beating the favorite) – in fact, the term "upset" had been in use to describe such a situation for decades. The two horses faced off five times during their racing careers, with Man o' War beating Upset four times.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Myth about Upset, 1919|url=http://colinsghost.org/2009/08/myth-about-upset-1919.html|website=colinsghost.org|access-date=May 1, 2017}}</ref><ref name="DRFUpset">{{cite web|title=Through the DRF archives: Upset stuns Man o' War in Sanford at Saratoga {{!}} Daily Racing Form|url=http://www.drf.com/archive/upset|website=www.drf.com|access-date=October 1, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

The loss only enhanced Man o' War's reputation. J.L. Dempsey of ''The Daily Racing Form'' wrote, "Without attempting to detract from the merits of [Upset's] performance, Man o' War proved himself in the running unquestionably the best. It was Upset's advantage at the start, coupled with 15 pounds weight concession, a perfect ride he received from Knapp and his success in saving ground on the stretch turn that brought his triumph over Man o' War. Had the race been a sixteenth farther the finish would have been reversed."<ref name=Upset />

Man o' War gained his revenge with a victory in the [[Grand Union Hotel Stakes]] on August 23, beating Upset by two lengths with Blazes in third. After the race, Loftus stated that Man o' War was the best horse he had ever ridden and that his ride had been responsible for the loss in the Sanford.<ref>{{cite web|title=MAN O'WAR TAKES GRAND UNION HOTEL STAKES, WITH UPSET SECOND; MAN O' WAR IS KING OF TWO-YEAR-OLDS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/08/24/archives/man-owar-takes-grand-union-hotel-stakes-with-upset-second-man-o-war.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=March 25, 2017|date=August 24, 1919}}</ref> While carrying 130 pounds, Man o' War tied the stakes record{{efn|A stakes record is the fastest time for a particular race. In his career, he set world, American, and track records as noted in the racing summary section. By definition, a world record is automatically also an American, a track, and a stakes record.}} of 1:12 2/5 for {{convert|6|furlong|m|spell=in}} that had been set by Garbage while carrying only {{convert|107|lb|kg}}.<ref name=OursA>{{Harvnb|Ours|2006|pp=277–279}}</ref>

Seven days later, Man o' War entered the [[Hopeful Stakes]], whose purse of $30,000 made it one of the richest prizes in racing at the time. He faced eight rivals, a small field at the time for such a prestigious race. Heavy rain started to fall as the field headed to the starting post, and Man o' War broke through the barrier several times, delaying the race by twelve minutes. Despite this, he won with "ridiculous ease" by six lengths.<ref name=Hopeful>{{cite web|title=MAN O'WAR AND EXTERMINATOR WIN FEATURE STAKES ON FINAL DAY OF SARATOGA RACING; TWO-YEAR-OLD KING TAKES RICH STAKES|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/08/31/archives/man-owar-and-exterminator-win-feature-stakes-on-final-day-of.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=March 27, 2017|date=August 31, 1919}}</ref>

Man o' War then returned to Belmont Park for the [[Futurity Stakes (USA)|Futurity Stakes]] on September 14. The Futurity had a purse of $5,000 added, meaning the prize money was increased by nomination and entry fees. Because the Futurity was one of the preeminent races of the day, the added money was large enough to increase the winner's share of the purse to $26,650.{{efn|By contrast, the winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup held on the same day won only $5,650.}} Man o' War briefly dueled for the lead with a well-regarded sprinter named Dominique, then opened up a commanding lead. Turning into the stretch, John P. Grier swept into second with an all-out drive but failed to  make up any ground on Man o' War, who had not been urged at any point in the race and won by three lengths while carrying 127 pounds, 10 pounds more than John P. Grier. Journalists, horsemen, and fans agreed that Man o' War had to be considered as one of the greatest American horses of his age, and they compared him favorably to the unbeaten Colin. He completed his two-year-old campaign with nine wins from ten starts and earnings of $82,275.<ref name=Futurity>{{cite web|title=MAN O'WAR BREEZES HOME AN EASY VICTOR IN FUTURITY BEFORE GREAT CROWD AT BELMONT |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F0DE4DC153AE03ABC4C52DFBF668382609EDE&legacy=true|website=The New York Times|access-date=March 27, 2017|date=September 14, 1919}}</ref> He was named the [[American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt]] of 1919. He was rated at 136 pounds by handicapper C.C. Ridley of the ''[[Daily Racing Form]]'', 16 pounds ahead of the second-ranked colt, Blazes.<ref name=ACP />