War Admiral

War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was an American thoroughbred racehorse, the offspring of Man o' War and Brushup.

War Admiral was foaled at Faraway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and was owned by Samuel D. Riddle. After 1936, his regular jockey until retirement was Charles Kurtsinger. War Admiral won 21 of his 26 starts, including the Pimlico Special and the U.S. Triple Crown in 1937. War Admiral was voted 1937 American Horse of the Year, beating his nephew, Seabiscuit (1938 Horse of the Year), by 621 votes to 603.

Description

War Admiral inherited his father's fiery temperament and talent, but did not resemble him physically. At 15.3 hands (61.2 in, or 155.2 cm), he was smaller than Man o' War's height of 16.2 hands (64.8 in, or 167.6 cm). (A hand is 4 in (10 cm). Sixteen hands is considered the average height for a racehorse) War Admiral's dark brown coat was inherited from his dam.

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