Man o' War all-time greats with an "almost unbelievably brilliant performance" before a crowd of 25,000. At odds of 1-20, he faced only one rival, the well-regarded colt Donnaconna. Man o' War led from the start and Kummer let him run freely at the top of the stretch, allowing Man o' War to draw away by 20 lengths. Although eased in the final furlong, Man o' War set a world record of 2:14, beating the previous standard set in England by over two seconds and beating Sir Barton's American record by over three seconds. This time stood as the American record until 1961
Man o' War Boulevard phase, argued in a 2007 interview with the city's daily newspaper, the "Lexington Herald-Leader", that much of this criticism was either unfair or the result of misconceptions. For example, he pointed out that Man o' War was not designed as a limited access freeway like the city's inner beltway, New Circle Road, a highway to which many unfavorably compare Man o' War—it was intended as an urban arterial. He also added, David Uckotter, who was the engineering director for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government during the road's construction, also noted that Man o' War had to be designed and built