Personal Ensign
Encyclopedia
Personal Ensign was an American
champion Thoroughbred
racehorse.
A bay filly
by Private Account out of Grecian Banner (by Hoist The Flag
), she was the undefeated winner of 13 races and won $1,679,880 in the United States
from 1986 to 1988. For this feat, she was voted the 1988 Eclipse Award
as the American Champion Older Female Horse.
. Produced from a mating of Phipp's homebred stallion, Private Account, and the mare Grecian Banner, Personal Ensign was a full sister to Personal Flag. Their combined exploits in 1988 led to their dam, Grecian Banner, being named Kentucky
Broodmare of the Year...a feat Personal Ensign would later also accomplish.
Personal Ensign began her racing career as a two-year-old in 1986 with Randy Romero
as her regular jockey
. He would be aboard her for all but one of her thirteen wins. In her first season, she won a maiden race as well as the prestigious Frizette Stakes
at Belmont Park
. A fracture to her pastern bone cut short her two-year-old season shortly before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
, a race she would have been favored to win. Dr. Bramlage had to insert five screws in her left hind leg. Many people were sure her racing career was over.
Returning to the races late in her three-year-old year, Personal Ensign resumed her winning ways, taking four more races, including two stakes. Her biggest win that year was the Beldame Stakes
against older mares.
Personal Ensign shone in 1988, winning all seven of her starts. Her wins included the Shuvee Stakes, the Hempstead Stakes (by seven lengths)
, the Maskette Stakes, and Beldame Stakes
—all prestigious Grade I
races against fillies. At Saratoga
, she defeated males in the historic Whitney Handicap
. Her swan song was a nose victory over Kentucky Derby
winner Winning Colors
in the Breeders' Cup Distaff
, a race that is often referred to as the most exciting finish in Breeder's Cup history.
Personal Ensign was retired following the Breeder's Cup as the first undefeated champion in American racing in over 80 years.
. A third son, Traditionally, was also a G1 winner and sire. Personal Ensign's best runner was a daughter, My Flag
, who was sired by Hall of Fame champion Easy Goer
. My Flag won four G1 races, including the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in a race eerily similar to Personal Ensign's 1988 Breeders' Cup win. Her career earnings totaled over $1,500,000, just $100,000 less than Personal Ensign had earned. Like Personal Ensign, My Flag went on to achieve great success as a broodmare, producing the 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, and that year's Eclipse Award-Winning Champion 2-Year Old Filly, Storm Flag Flying
. This three-generation success in the Breeder's Cup has not been duplicated by any other mare, and only by one group of stallions.
Personal Ensign was named 1996 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
.
In September 2006, at the age of 22, Personal Ensign (after coming up barren from a mating with Forest Wildcat) was pensioned to the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm
. Said Claiborne breeding shed manager Charles Koch, "She's still in good shape, looks good, and gets around fine. She's just a little arthritic. She'll be spending time out in the field with other mares Korveya, Arabian Dancer, and Narrate."
, of natural causes
.
in 1993.
In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Personal Ensign was ranked No. 48.
Personal Ensign's last foal was a 2006 colt by Forest Wildcat.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
champion Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse.
A bay filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
by Private Account out of Grecian Banner (by Hoist The Flag
Hoist The Flag
Hoist The Flag was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by New York City Investment banker, John Schiff, he was out of the mare Wavy Navy, a daughter of the 1937 U.S. Triple Crown champion, War Admiral...
), she was the undefeated winner of 13 races and won $1,679,880 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1986 to 1988. For this feat, she was voted the 1988 Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
as the American Champion Older Female Horse.
Racing career
Personal Ensign was bred and raced by Ogden PhippsOgden Phipps
Ogden Phipps was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist...
. Produced from a mating of Phipp's homebred stallion, Private Account, and the mare Grecian Banner, Personal Ensign was a full sister to Personal Flag. Their combined exploits in 1988 led to their dam, Grecian Banner, being named Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
Broodmare of the Year...a feat Personal Ensign would later also accomplish.
Personal Ensign began her racing career as a two-year-old in 1986 with Randy Romero
Randy Romero
Randy Paul Romero is a Hall of Fame jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, Born into a family involved with horses, his father Lloyd J...
as her regular jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
. He would be aboard her for all but one of her thirteen wins. In her first season, she won a maiden race as well as the prestigious Frizette Stakes
Frizette Stakes
The Frizette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies raced annually at Belmont Park in the late fall. It is currently a Grade I stakes race at as distance of one mile. The Frizette is the female counterpart of the Champagne Stakes.The race is currently part of the...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. A fracture to her pastern bone cut short her two-year-old season shortly before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
, a race she would have been favored to win. Dr. Bramlage had to insert five screws in her left hind leg. Many people were sure her racing career was over.
Returning to the races late in her three-year-old year, Personal Ensign resumed her winning ways, taking four more races, including two stakes. Her biggest win that year was the Beldame Stakes
Beldame Stakes
The Beldame Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960...
against older mares.
Personal Ensign shone in 1988, winning all seven of her starts. Her wins included the Shuvee Stakes, the Hempstead Stakes (by seven lengths)
Ogden Phipps Handicap
The Ogden Phipps Handicap is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for run annually in mid June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Contested on dirt at a distance of 11/16 miles , the race is open to fillies and mares, three years of age and up. Inaugurated in 1961 as the Hempstead...
, the Maskette Stakes, and Beldame Stakes
Beldame Stakes
The Beldame Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960...
—all prestigious Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
races against fillies. At Saratoga
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
, she defeated males in the historic Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
. Her swan song was a nose victory over Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner Winning Colors
Winning Colors (horse)
Winning Colors was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and one of only three fillies to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Though she was registered as roan, she was, in fact, a gray with a broad band of white on her face.Racing on the West Coast of the United States for trainer D...
in the Breeders' Cup Distaff
Breeders' Cup Distaff
The Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Distaff from its inception in 1984 through 2007, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders'...
, a race that is often referred to as the most exciting finish in Breeder's Cup history.
Personal Ensign was retired following the Breeder's Cup as the first undefeated champion in American racing in over 80 years.
Stud record
Personal Ensign became one of the most important broodmares of the 20th century. Her first foal, Miner's Mark, was a G1 winner. Her second foal, Our Emblem, was a G1-placed runner who went on to sire notable runners including Kentucky Derby winner War EmblemWar Emblem
War Emblem was the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2002. His Derby time was 2:01.13. Victor Espinoza was his jockey for the Derby, never having seen the horse until the morning of the race. War Emblem, who went off at 21-to-1 odds, gave trainer Bob Baffert his third Derby...
. A third son, Traditionally, was also a G1 winner and sire. Personal Ensign's best runner was a daughter, My Flag
My Flag
My Flag is an American Thoroughbred Filly Racehorse. She was bred and owned by Ogden Phipps and trained by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Trainer Claude R. McGaughey III...
, who was sired by Hall of Fame champion Easy Goer
Easy Goer
Easy Goer was an American Champion Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse, famous for earning American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors in 1988, and defeating 1989 American Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes by 8 lengths. The victory deprived Sunday Silence of the Triple Crown...
. My Flag won four G1 races, including the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in a race eerily similar to Personal Ensign's 1988 Breeders' Cup win. Her career earnings totaled over $1,500,000, just $100,000 less than Personal Ensign had earned. Like Personal Ensign, My Flag went on to achieve great success as a broodmare, producing the 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, and that year's Eclipse Award-Winning Champion 2-Year Old Filly, Storm Flag Flying
Storm Flag Flying
Storm Flag Flying is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2002, Storm Flag Flying won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, a race won by her dam in 1995. She also won the Frizette Stakes and Matron Stakes in her championship two year old season...
. This three-generation success in the Breeder's Cup has not been duplicated by any other mare, and only by one group of stallions.
Personal Ensign was named 1996 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
The list that follows is of the all the mares that have won the honor of being named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year. Mares are selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Mares are graded by the success of offspring just like stallions in regards to the Leading...
.
In September 2006, at the age of 22, Personal Ensign (after coming up barren from a mating with Forest Wildcat) was pensioned to the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
. Said Claiborne breeding shed manager Charles Koch, "She's still in good shape, looks good, and gets around fine. She's just a little arthritic. She'll be spending time out in the field with other mares Korveya, Arabian Dancer, and Narrate."
Death
The pensioned Personal Ensign died Thursday, April 8, 2010, in her pasture at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KentuckyParis, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
, of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
.
Her legacy
Personal Ensign was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 1993.
In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Personal Ensign was ranked No. 48.
Personal Ensign's last foal was a 2006 colt by Forest Wildcat.