War Admiral

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = War Admiral


caption = "War Admiral: Thoroughbred Legends"
by Edward L. Bowen
sire = Man o' War
grandsire = Fair Play
dam = Brushup
damsire = Sweep
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1934
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Brown
breeder = Samuel D. Riddle
owner = Glen Riddle Farm
Silks: Black, Yellow Sash, Yellow Bars on Sleeves, Black Cap
trainer = George Conway
record = 26: 21-3-1
earnings = $273,240
race = Great American Stakes (1936)
Kentucky Derby (1937)
Preakness Stakes (1937)
Belmont Stakes (1937)
Washington Handicap (1937)
Pimlico Special (1937)
Saratoga Cup (1938)
Whitney Handicap (1938)
Wilson Stakes (1938)
Stars and Stripes Handicap (1938)
Jockey Club Gold Cup (1938)
Queens County Handicap (1938)
awards= 4th U.S. Triple Crown Champion (1937)
U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1937)
United States Horse of the Year (1937)
Leading sire in North America (1945)
Leading broodmare sire in North America (1962, 1964)
honours = United States Racing Hall of Fame (1958)
#13 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
updated= February 4, 2007

War Admiral (1934-1959) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, the offspring of the great thoroughbred Man o' War and the mare Brushup. He did not resemble his famous father physically, being much smaller (he was 15'2 hands tall (most racehorses are between 16 and 17 hands) and had a brown coat inherited from his dam; although the movie " Seabiscuit" portrays him to be a much bigger 18' hands - which would make him the same height as many draft horses) and taking the coat color of his father, but he did inherit his fiery temperament and talent.

War Admiral was born at Faraway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and was owned by Samuel D. Riddle. After 1936, his regular jockey until retirement was Charles Kurtsinger. Racing out of his Glen Riddle Farm in Berlin, Maryland, War Admiral won 21 of his 26 starts, including the Pimlico Special and the coveted U.S. Triple Crown in 1937, earning him the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.

War Admiral raced in the Eastern United States and in 1938 won eight major races including the Whitney Handicap and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. War Admiral would be linked forever to Seabiscuit, who was a son of War Admiral's half brother Hard Tack and the pre-eminent horse based primarily in the Western U.S. Their famous match race in the 1938 Pimlico Special, which War Admiral lost to Seabiscuit by four lengths, is considered by some to be the best Thoroughbred horse race in American history.

War Admiral retired with a career earnings total of $273,240. He was the leading American sire in 1945 and the leading juvenile sire in 1948. Before his death in 1959, War Admiral had sired 40 stakes winners. [http://horseracing.about.com/od/history1/l/blseabis.htm] Major War Admiral sires include Blue Peter, Searching, Busanda, Mr. Busher, Navy Page, Cold Command, and Admiral Vee. [http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/ManOWar.html]

He also sired the filly Busher (ranked #40 in Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century).

War Admiral was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, War Admiral was ranked #13.

Owner Sam Riddle commissioned equine artist Martin Stainforth to paint War Admiral's portrait.

Pedigree
name = War Admiral
f = Man o' War
ff = Fair Play
ch. 1905
fff = Hastings
br. 1893
ffff = Spendthrift
fffm = Cinderella
ffm = Fairy Gold
ch. 1896
ffmf = Bend Or| ffmm = Dame Masham| fm = Mahubah
b. 1910
fmf = Rock Sand
br. 1900
fmff = Sainfoin| fmfm = Roquebrune| fmm = Merry Token
b. 1891
fmmf = Merry Hampton| fmmm = Mizpah
m = Brushup
1929
mf = Sweep
1907
mff = Ben Brush
mfff = Bramble| mffm = Roseville| mfm = Pink Domino
mfmf = Domino
mfmm = Belle Rose| mm = Annette
1921
mmf = Harry of Hereford
mmff = John O'Gaunt| mmfm = Canterbury Pilgrim| mmm = Bathing Girl
mmmf = Spearmint| mmmm = Summer Girl|

ee also

*Hillenbrand, Laura. "", (2001), Random House ISBN 978-0375502910

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/war+admiral War Admiral's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2006/derby_history/derby_charts/years/1937.html War Admiral's Kentucky Derby]
* [http://horseracing.about.com/od/history1/l/blseabis.htm The War Admiral-Seabiscuit match at about.com]
* [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/tc2000/history/winners/waradmiral/default.asp War Admiral overview at Thoroughbred Times]
* [http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/admiral.htm War Admiral biography]
* [http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=158 War Admiral at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]
* Bowen, Edward L. "War Admiral: Thoroughbred Legends" (2002) Eclipse Press ISBN 978-1581500783