Faraway ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Mr and Mrs. Greg Goodman purchased the former home of Man o' War, Faraway Farm near Lexington, they rebuilt the barn that housed the stallion and his breeding shed, and added the acreage to Mt. Brilliant Farm. Mt. Brilliant, once owned by Louis Lee Haggin, is contiguous with Faraway Farm.

The Goodmans, who purchased Faraway from Kay Jeffords, the widow of Walter Jeffords Jr. Faraway, along with what is now Man o' War Farm, was once owned jointly by Samuel Riddle, who raced Man o' War, and Walter Jeffords Sr. In 1946 they divided their approximately 743 acres into two tracts.

"Man o' War's stallion barn was in bad shape, but has been restored it to the way it was when he was living there," said Goodman. The original door to his stall has been placed in Mr. Goodman's private office, and an identical replica is now in its place.  The barn, which does not house any horses, is more of a monument to Man o' War. 

Goodman worked with the University of Kentucky Department of Historical Preservation to document the old broodmare barns, and research and restore the stallion barn and breeding shed to their original condition.

In addition to the stallion barn and breeding shed, Faraway includes an equine cemetery. The restored stallion barn features stalls where Man O’ War, Golden Broom & Crusader stood.  In addition the original bell which was rung every time Man O’ War had a stakes winner has been hung near the barn, which is now used to entertain guests in the spring and summer.

 

 Preserving Man o' War:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here to read about preserving Man o' War's legacy.  Courtesy of Keeneland Magazine http://mtbrilliant/pdf/MoW.pdf

 

Man O War Quick Facts: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chestnut colt, 1917.
By Fair Play - Mahubah by *Rock Sand.

Born: March 29, 1917, at Nursery Stud, Lexington, Kentucky
Died: November 1, 1947 (age 30), at Faraway Farm.
First buried at Faraway and subsequently moved and buried at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky

Racing Record:

Year Age Starts 1st 2nd 3rd unp. earnings 1919 2 10 9 1 0 0 $ 83,325 1920 3 11 11 0 0 0 166,140 total   21 20 1 0 0 $249,465

Stakes Record:
at 2:

• won - Keene Memorial Stakes
• won - Youthful Stakes
• won - Hudson Stakes ............ (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Tremont Stakes ........... (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - United States Hotel Stakes (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Grand Union Hotel Stakes.. (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Hopeful Stakes ........... (carrying 130 lbs)
• won - Belmont Futurity ......... (carrying 127 lbs)
• 2nd - Sanford Stakes
• Champion 2yo Colt

at 3:

• won - Preakness Stakes
• won - Belmont Stakes ........... (won by 20 lengths)
• won - Dwyer Stakes
• won - Withers Stakes
• won - Stuyvesant Handicap ...... (carrying 135 lbs)
• won - Miller Stakes
• won - Travers Stakes
• won - Lawrence Realization ..... (won by estimated 100 lengths)
• won - Jockey Club Stakes ....... (won by 15 lengths)
• won - Potomac Handicap ......... (carrying 138 lbs)
• won - Kenilworth Park Gold Cup
• Horse of the Year
• Champion 3yo Colt

From the prominent sire Fair Play, out of the mare, Mahubah, Man O' War was owned and bred by August Belmont, Jr. (1851-1924). August Belmont Jr. joined the United States Army at age 65 to serve in France during World War I. While overseas, his wife named the new foal "Man o' War" in honor of her husband.] However, when the Belmonts made the decision to liquidate their racing stable and at the Saratoga yearling sale in 1918, Man O' War was sold to Samuel D. Riddle for $5,000 who owned him during his racing and stud careers.

Man o'War stood his first stud season at Hinata Farm, then the following year moved to Faraway Farm where he joined an old acquaintance Golden Broom. His groom at Faraway was Will Harbut who came to be closely associated with the horse. Harbut gladly showed the stallion to farm visitors and spoke at length of Man o'War's victories. Before long, Harbut's words were picked up through national magazines, and the whole country was quoting his now famous phrase "He wuz de mostest hoss... "

Man o'War was an outstanding sire, and might have been even better if Riddle had offered more than a handful of public seasons each year. Some of his famous offspring are WAR ADMIRAL, CRUSADER, AMERICAN FLAG, BATEAU, MARS, MAID AT ARMS, CLYDE VAN DUSEN, WAR RELIC, and BATTLESHIP (who won the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree England even though they said he was too small to be a good jumper.) One of his famous grandsons was SEABISCUIT.


Man o'War died quietly on November 1, 1947 at the age of 30. He was embalmed and lay in state for three days while his final resting place was prepared in a portion of his old paddock. He was lowered into a moated enclosure, beneath a green marble pedestal from which rose Herbert Hazeltine's heroic bronze statue of the champion. Man o'War was eventually moved to the Kentucky Horse Park, where the original burial site was faithfully recreated. More than 50 years after his death, he still attracts thousands of visitors anually. And they still consider him to be the "mostest hoss."