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 o' War's great-grandson Swaps. The performance drew superlatives from the racing community. Turf writer B.K. Beckwith later called it "the most astounding display of arrogant annihilation", adding, "[Man o' War] was like a big red sheet of flame running before a prairie wind". The "New York Times" commented, "at Belmont Park yesterday [Man o' War] gave what was undoubtedly the greatest exhibition of speed over a considerable distance of ground ever witnessed anywhere." Man o' War's next start was the Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 12, the first time he entered a race open to older horses. The race