Galloping Grail: Marilyn Newmark's Man O' War

All of my life, I've been a Man O' War fangirl. I grew up reading C. W. Anderson's horse stories and Walter Farley's wonderful fictionalized biography of the great horse. The awe both authors felt for the original Big Red undoubtedly influenced my interest in horse racing, the history of the sport, and the interplay of important pedigrees through the centuries. Even more than 100 years after his birth, Man O' War casts a long shadow over the Thoroughbred breed. He is still spoken of as the benchmark against which other great horses are measured. And while his sire line is sadly fading out, his blood can still be found carried forward through the generations by his outstanding daughters and their get.

Over the years, I have made pilgrimages to various places where important parts of Man O' War's story played out. I have driven past what was once Nursery Stud, his birthplace (now developed, alas) and visited the barn at Faraway Farm where his sire Fair Play and dam Mahubah lived and are buried. (Apologies for the less than great disposable camera pix.)

Faraway Farms in the early 2000s (before restoration)

I've visited Man O' War Farm next door where he stood at stud for most of his stallion career and where he was originally buried.

His stall (before restoration)

I pay my respects at his burial place every summer (going on 35 years now) at the Kentucky Horse Park. Someday, I hope to travel to Saratoga and Belmont Park to see where he ran so many of his races.

 Not surprisingly, I own a lot of Man O' War models, books, and memorabilia.

This is just the tip of the iceberg

For my 8th birthday, I was thrilled to receive a Breyer Man O' War, my most coveted model at that time. I remember cuddling him, pointy ears and all, while rereading C. W. Anderson's Another Man O' War. I don't have a photo of him handy, but he is a lovely rich red mid-1980s version. Once my family learned about the joys of model horse hunting at flea markets and antique malls, he was followed by numerous other older variations of Hess' traditional sculpture as well as by many copies of Maureen Love's smaller Classic scale model. I eventually also learned about the Hagen-Renaker origin of that piece and acquired several of those as well.

In the early 2000s, collector Liz Bouras shared some photos of models at a show she'd attended on the now defunct Breakables Yahoo Group, and one of them was a stunning bronze of Man O' War by Marilyn Newmark. I remember Liz saying she had lucked into the piece on eBay for a very good price. I saved her photos on my computer and hoped I would someday have a chance to own such a wonderful piece. (Liz had exquisite taste in models, and I was very much inspired by her artistry and collection. I promise a blog on that subject is forthcoming!)

In 2017, for the 100th anniversary of Man O' War's birth, the Kentucky Horse Park put together an interesting exhibit about the great horse's life and his importance in a post-World War I America.

The exhibit was a bit light on original artefacts, but it was full of terrific information on display boards.

One of the centerpieces of the exhibit was a copy of Marilyn Newmark's stupendous bronze of Man O' War. It was the first time I had ever seen one in person, and I remarked to my sister Sarah how much I loved the piece and hoped to someday be well-enough off that I could afford to buy a copy of my own.

The sculpture was issued in 1977 (I haven't been able to find the edition size), and while they come up for sale on occasion, they're usually well out of my price range. Not to mention I would also worry about shipping such a large, heavy item balanced on two thin fetlocks. During the pandemic, one came up for sale from an estate company in the Chicago suburbs which I could have picked up, but auction prices were sky high, and I was quickly and very decidedly outbid. C'est la vie. It wasn't meant to be.

Fast forward to a few of months ago. I was chatting with a friend online about grail models, and they asked if I collected any bronze pieces. I said that I had never really given a lot of thought to buying them, but if I ever did, my holiest of holies would be a Newmark Man O' War. But it was very much an on-the-back-burner kind of grail. Or so I thought.

My parents, sister, and I joke about being able to manifest rare models just by talking about them enough. Obviously, we can't really do that, but sometimes it does seem like certain things pop up on eBay or at estate sales when you've had them on your mind a lot. A couple of weeks ago, I got this text from my sister.

Needless to say, I about fell over. Sarah remembered how much I coveted this piece, and this particular one was practically in her backyard. And at a fraction of the price it normally sells for at auction to boot! By the time I talked to her that afternoon, Sarah had already contacted the seller to get the ball rolling because she knew the price and location were just too fortuitous to pass up. Happily, the owner was very motivated to sell it, especially with a potential buyer so nearby, and they offered it to my sister for an even lower price. I was so ecstatic I Paypaled her before she was even done telling me about it!

After a week of coordinating, Sarah made the short drive to pick it up, and she drove home with Man O' War wrapped in foam in a large box safely seat-belted in her front passenger seat. She told me the seller really wanted to be rid of the sculpture because it didn't match the rest of the things he was selling in his antique mall booth. How this piece ended up in the middle of nowhere Georgia I'll never know, but I'm grateful that the racing gods smiled and the stars finally aligned for me.

I'm not entirely sure when we'll be able to trailer him home to me in Chicago, but I'm just thrilled to finally own such a remarkable piece of sculpture after so many years of admiring it. I'm so very lucky to have the most amazing sister ever! I can't wait to see her in July and visit with my Man O' War.