Man 'o War

Favorite: My all-ime favorite was Triptych (Riverman). She was nicknamed the "Iron Lady" like Maggie Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the U.K. (and the longest serving). She won 14 times. She frequently took her game to the boys, by accelerating from a position of power close to the pace, and was relentless all the way to the line. Triptych won the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac as a 2-year-old and ran in every major race as a 3-year-old. I was at The Curragh when she won the Irish 2,000...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --The confluence of the number 13 and the word "upset" came into play perfectly Aug. 13, 1919, in a race that gave birth to Saratoga's oft-repeated citation as "The Graveyard of Favorites." Bad luck was a key ingredient to the only defeat of Man o' War, whose talents, even as a youngster, were considered otherworldly. That the Sanford S. was won by a horse coincidentally named Upset adds to the story. That the riders of both Man o' War and Upset were denied licenses--without comment from The...