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Source-checked editorial dossier

Thoroughbred racing

War Admiral

Man o' War's most accomplished racing son swept the 1937 Triple Crown, won 21 of 26 starts, and later became a leading sire.

Dossier02reviewed sources
War Admiral standing under jockey Charles Kurtsinger at Saratoga Springs in a 1938 photographic postcard.
Documentary photographWar Admiral with Charles Kurtsinger up at Saratoga Springs in July 1938.
Boston Public Library, Tichnor Brothers Collection - public domain in the United States, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Resized and converted to WebP; no crop
DisciplineThoroughbred racing
Evidence modelSource-linked editorial
Last reviewedJuly 25, 2026

At a glance

Identity snapshot

Verified biographical fields, separated from interpretation.

Foaled
1934, Kentucky, United States
Life
1934-1959
Sex / color
Stallion / brown
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1958

Profile

The story

War Admiral was foaled at Samuel Riddle's Faraway Farm, a son of Man o' War out of Brushup. The brown colt was physically smaller than his famous sire but exceptionally quick and competitive. Trained by George Conway and ridden principally by Charles Kurtsinger, he won three of six starts at two before transforming into an undefeated three-year-old champion.

War Admiral led throughout the Kentucky Derby, survived a close Preakness challenge, and entered the Belmont unbeaten for the year. Difficult pre-start behavior and a cut forefoot complicated the Belmont, yet he still completed the Triple Crown. He finished 1937 eight-for-eight and Horse of the Year. At four he added major races at Saratoga and Belmont. His celebrated Pimlico match with Seabiscuit ended in defeat, but it was one race within a 21-win career. One final victory came in 1939 before injury prompted retirement; he later became North America's leading sire of 1945.

Editorial analysis

Why this horse matters

War Admiral matters both as an individual champion and as evidence that Man o' War's influence could be transmitted at the highest level. His undefeated Triple Crown season joined tactical speed with resilience. He also provides a needed counterweight to narratives that reduce his career to losing against Seabiscuit. That match was historically significant, but the larger record includes championships, major victories at four, and an influential stud career. The full dossier restores proportion to his legacy.

Selected record

Career highlights

A concise chronology of documented championship and major-event performances.

  1. 1937

    Kentucky Derby

    Led throughout to open his undefeated classic campaign.

  2. 1937

    Preakness Stakes

    Held Pompoon in a close finish for the second classic.

  3. 1937

    Belmont Stakes

    Completed the Triple Crown despite an injured forefoot at the start.

  4. 1937

    Perfect championship season

    Finished eight-for-eight and was named Horse of the Year.

  5. 1938

    Older-horse campaign

    Won nine races, including the Whitney and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

  6. 1945

    Leading sire

    His offspring included Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Busher.

Live name watch

News mentioning War Admiral

Exact-name matches from this horse's discipline only. No fuzzy matches, recycled stories or unrelated fallback headlines.

No recent exact-name coverage for War Admiral appears in the monitored thoroughbred racing feeds right now.

Checked Jul 27, 2026, 9:12 PM EDT. No match means only that the current monitored feed window contains no exact reference; it is not a claim that no coverage exists elsewhere.

Open the full live news desk

Reference desk

Research record

Pedigree, people and career facts remain grouped by type for quick comparison.

Career record

Career
1936-1939
Starts
26
Record
21 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
Earnings
$273,240 (historical nominal dollars)

Pedigree

Sire
Man o' War
Dam
Brushup
Damsire
Sweep

Connections

Breeder / owner
Samuel D. Riddle
Racing stable
Glen Riddle Farm Stable
Trainer
George Conway
Principal rider
Charles Kurtsinger

Reading the record

Research context

Technical and historical notes, presented as context rather than instruction.

  1. The Triple Crown was not yet marketed as today's singular career objective; the sweep remains factual without projecting modern framing backward.

  2. Brown is the Museum description; some modern references use dark bay or brown.

  3. Samuel D. Riddle names the individual owner while Glen Riddle Farm Stable is the racing-stable designation.

Provenance

Detailed source trail

Open the institutional record behind the dossier and see exactly what each source supports.

  1. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

    War Admiral (KY) (opens in a new tab)

    Identity, color, pedigree, connections, career totals, Triple Crown, retirement, stud career, and death year.

    Accessed July 25, 2026

Data boundary

Unknown is not a blank to fill

This dossier publishes reviewed fields and source-backed editorial analysis only. A field that is not shown remains not established in this source-checked dossier. EquinAtlas does not infer missing results, ownership, health, availability, or commercial terms.