"Grandfather says to Mrs. Riddle, 'Don't
leave without buying that horse,'" Mike
Pons added. "So, she gives big Sam the el-
bow and they buy Man o' War. Two years
ODWHUWKH\DUHRƪHUHGPLOOLRQDQGWXUQ
it down. Riddle was grateful to grandfather
and gave him a nomination to Man o' War."
:KHQ%HOPRQWGLHGLQ$GROSKH3RQV
decided to start a farm of his own and he
was able to do so thanks to a horse named
Discovery.
"There was a lot of anti-semitism in the
'30s. Walter Salmon had a homebred named
Discovery and wasn't allowed to race him
in New York," Mike Pons said. "He asked
grandfather to run him in his name. He
ZDVQoW FKDPSLRQ \HDUROG EXW KH ZDV
pretty close."
Pons continued, "Alfred Vanderbilt had
just received Sagamore for his birthday and
he asked grandfather what he was going to
do with [Discovery]. Grandfather eventual-
O\JRWKLPWREX\'LVFRYHU\IRULQ
the middle of the Depression. That might
DVZHOOKDYHEHHQPLOOLRQWRGD\3HRSOH
would work for food, never mind money. I
guess he got a bump for getting the horse
sold."
Adolphe Pons worked for a lot of top New
York owners, so he began searching the
neighboring states to set down roots, which
led him to Maryland, and Country Life Farm
was born.
"He had access to all these wonderfully
bred colts in New York that weren't going
to make it to Kentucky, so he started us
in the breeding business," Mike Pons said.
"Later on, after his three sons came back
