War Admiral

1937 Triple Crown Winner Profile

Sire: Man o’ War
Dam: Brushup

Owner: Glen Riddle Farm Stable
Breeder: Samuel D. Riddle
Trainer: George Conway
Primary Jockey: Charles Kurtsinger

Race record: 26 starts, 21 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
Earnings: $273,240

These days, War Admiral is arguably best known for his defeat at the hands of Seabiscuit in the fabled 1938 Pimlico Special. That’s a shame, because War Admiral’s exploits beyond the match race rank as some of the greatest in the history of the sport.

Bred by Samuel D. Riddle, War Admiral was the best runner produced by Riddle’s superstar racer Man o’ War. Though War Admiral’s juvenile season wasn’t as brilliant as that of his sire, the unimposing brown colt held his own against quality competition, with a five-length victory in the Eastern Shore H. among the highlights of his 3-for-6 campaign.

It was as a 3-year-old in 1937 that War Admiral matured into a force to reckon with. After scoring a pair of easy victories in Maryland, the front-running colt entered the Kentucky Derby as the 8-5 favorite. Whereas Man o’ War had skipped the Run for the Roses, denying him a shot at the Triple Crown, War Admiral romped in gate-to-wire fashion under the Twin Spires. He subsequently added the Preakness and Belmont Stakes to his growing resume, one-upping his famous sire with a sweep of the spring classics.

War Admiral’s Triple Crown success was a testament to his talent, determination, and resilience. In the Preakness, he engaged in a thrilling showdown with reigning champion 2-year-old Pompoon, winning by a head after a ferocious battle down the homestretch. And in the Belmont Stakes, War Admiral suffered a hoof injury when stumbling at the start, but shrugged off the trouble to lead all the way and win by three lengths.

After taking the summer off to recuperate from his injury, War Admiral returned in the fall to claim the Washington Park H. and Pimlico Special H., cementing his status as Horse of the Year. He was nearly as dominant as a 4-year-old, with his defeat against Seabiscuit one of just two blemishes during an ambitious 11-race campaign. Competing up and down the East Coast, War Admiral picked up eight stakes wins for the season, claiming such historic prizes as the Widener H., Whitney S., and Jockey Club Gold Cup wile toting as many as 132 pounds.

War Admiral ran once as a 5-year-old, winning an allowance race before heading to the sidelines with a setback widely described as a “rheumatic ailment,” which eventually led to his retirement. At stud he proved a resounding success as both a sire and a broodmare sire; his daughter Busher was voted Horse of the Year in 1945, while grandson Buckpasser claimed the same title in 1966.

War Admiral died in 1959, the year after he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.