War Admiral was one of the greatest Thoroughbreds in the history of American horse racing. Thoroughbreds are horses whose ancestry can be traced to three Arabian stallions that were brought to England, probably from the Middle East, in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. Stallions are male horses that can be used for breeding.
During his career from 1936 to 1939, War Admiral competed in 26 races, winning 21 and finishing second in 3. In 1937, War Admiral became the fourth horse to win the Triple Crown of American racing. The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. The next year, War Admiral competed against another great American race horse, Seabiscuit , in a match (head to head) race that was perhaps the sports event of the year in the United States. Seabiscuit won despite an exciting performance by War Admiral.
War Admiral was born on May 2, 1934, on a farm near Lexington, Kentucky. His sire (father) was the famous race horse Man o’ War . His dam (mother) was Brushup. War Admiral ran his first race on April 25, 1936. After he was retired in 1939, War Admiral became one of the most productive sires in American Thoroughbred breeding history. He sired 40 stakes winners, including Busher, the 1945 Horse of the Year. War Admiral was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958. He died on Oct. 30, 1959.
