Q: August Belmont Jr., the breeder of probably the greatest race horse of the 20th century, Man o’ War, enlisted in the Army and served in France during World War I. What did he do there?
—Jock Ellis, Cumming
A: Belmont was 65 years old when he volunteered for the Army in 1917.
He was given the rank of major and sent to Europe, where he was tasked with buying horses for the Army, according to the Daily Racing Forum.
Belmont was a banker and had taken over his father’s company when he died in 1890.
The family owned race horses and the younger Belmont built and named Belmont Park in honor of his father.
Man o’ War was born in 1917, while Belmont was serving in the Army, and his wife, Eleanor, originally named the horse My Man o’ War in honor of her husband.
Belmont didn’t have time to dedicate to his horses while he was overseas, so the family sold their yearlings.
Samuel Riddle bought My Man o’ War, which was registered as Man o’ War, for $5,000 in 1918.
Man o’ War won 20 of his 21 races, including one by 100 lengths, and retired in 1920. The Associated Press selected him as the greatest horse of the 20th century, over Secretariat.
Q: Where in the Atlanta area is the Church of Scientology located?
—Mary Kitchen, Decatur
A: The Church of Scientology's new facility is located at 5395 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.
The church opened the 45,000-square-foot facility last month. It’s available for public tours.
Call 770-394-4414 for more information.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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