American Flag was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. Bred and raced by Samuel D. Riddle

Samuel D. Riddle

Samuel Doyle Riddle . He was born in Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania, a small town southwest of Philadelphia given the family name in honor of his grandfather....

, who owned his sire, Man o' War

Man O' War

Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...

, he was out of the dam Lady Comfey.

Trained by Gwyn Tompkins

Gwyn R. Tompkins

Gwyn R. Tompkins was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer and owner in both steeplechase and flat racing.Tompkins owned and trained Rossfenton who in 1910 won the most prestigious steeplechase event in the United States, the American Grand National...

, as a two year old American Flag's most important performance was a win in the Manor Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland

Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...

. Undefeated at age three, he had important wins in the Withers

Withers Stakes

The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...

 and Dwyer Stakes

Dwyer Stakes

The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade II stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 1/16-miles on dirt...

 plus he captured what became known as the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Belmont Stakes

Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...

. His 1925 performances earned him Champion Three-Year-Old colt

Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse

The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....

 honors.

Following the retirement of Gwyn Tompkins, American Flag was sent back to the track at age four under trainer George Conway. In the 1926 Suburban Handicap

Suburban Handicap

The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is run at the classic one-and-one-quarter mile distance on dirt for a $400,000 purse....

 American Flag ran second to stablemate Crusader

Crusader (horse)

Crusader was a chestnut Thoroughbred colt sired by Man o' War from the mare Star Fancy. Bred by Samuel D. Riddle, he was raced by his Glen Riddle Farm and was ridden by Earl Sande and Albert Johnson....

, who was another son of Man o' War.

Retired to his owner's Faraway Farm

Faraway Farm

Faraway Farm, also known as the Daniel Ropp House, is a historic home located near Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It was built about 1865 and is a two-story, "L"-shaped brick dwelling. It is five bays wide and the ell is four bays long with a two story recessed porch...

 in Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

, as a stallion

Stallion (horse)

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...

, American Flag met with modest success. His most notable offspring was the colt Gusto who won the American Derby

American Derby

The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....

, Arlington Classic Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup

Jockey Club Gold Cup

The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...

, and through his mating to the mare

Mare (horse)

A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...

 Nellie Morse

Nellie Morse

Nellie Morse was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the fourth filly to win the Preakness Stakes. Her sire was Luke McLuke, who won the 1914 Belmont Stakes and who was a son of the important but unraced Ultimus who had been sired by Commando...

, the filly

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 Nellie Flag

Nellie Flag

Nellie Flag was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was voted the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of 1934. She was the first horse bred by Warren Wright's Calumet Farm to win a stakes race....

 who was the 1934 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Filly

Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Filly

The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....

 and who became a significant broodmare for Calumet Farm

Calumet Farm

Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...

.

In 1942, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, owner Samuel Riddle gave American Flag to the U.S. Army Remount service. The twenty-year-old horse died that fall at the Remount station near Front Royal, Virginia

Front Royal, Virginia

Front Royal is a town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.-Geography:Front Royal is roughly west of Washington, D.C....

.