Personality was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 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

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who was voted 1970 American Horse of the Year honors. He was bred by the partnership of Isidor Bieber and owner/trainer Hirsch Jacobs

Hirsch Jacobs

Hirsch Jacobs was an American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.Jacobs was the leading race-winning trainer in the United States 1933-39, 1941–44, the U.S. leading money-winning trainer, 1946, 1960, 1965, and the U.S. leading money-winning breeder, 1964-67...

. Sired by Hail To Reason

Hail To Reason

Hail To Reason was an American thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire. He was bred in Kentucky by the Bieber-Jacobs Stable, a partnership of prominent horsemen, Isadore Bieber and Hirsch Jacobs. He was sired by the English stakes winner Turn-To, a grandson of the very influential sire Nearco...

, the 1960 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Personality's dam was U.S. Racing Hall of Fame

National 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...

 inductee Affectionately

Affectionately

Affectionately was the daughter of 1956 American Horse of the Year Swaps, out of the exceptional racing mare Searching. Searching's dam was Big Hurry, by Black Toney out of the best "Blue Hen" mare of them all, La Troienne...

, a daughter of another Hall of Fame inductee, Swaps

Swaps (horse)

Swaps was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. He was the son of Khaled, a stallion imported from the Aga Khan's stud in Europe. Swaps goes back to the immortal Man o' War, via his dam, Iron Reward, through the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. In the list of the top 100 U.S...

.

Personality was raced in the salmon pink-and-green silks of Hirsch Jacobs' wife, Ethel

Ethel D. Jacobs

Ethel D. Jacobs was a prominent American Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder who was a three-time leading owner in North America....

. However, the Hall of Fame trainer died on February 23, 1970 and did not see his three-year-old colt's success that year. Son John took over the race conditioning of Personality and three-year-old stablemate High Echelon

High Echelon

High Echelon was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1970 Belmont Stakes. Bred by the partnership of Isidor Bieber and owner/trainer Hirsch Jacobs, his sire was the 1965 Florida Derby winner Native Charger who was a son of U.S...

. Going into the 1970 U.S. Triple Crown

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

 series, Personality was made the second choice by bettors

Parimutuel betting

Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...

 for the 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...

 after winning an allowance race and then the important Wood Memorial Stakes

Wood Memorial Stakes

The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....

 at Aqueduct Racetrack

Aqueduct Racetrack

Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...

. Ridden by Eddie Belmonte

Eddie Belmonte

Eddie Belmonte is a retired jockey who competed at the highest levels in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Puerto Rico and in the United States....

, Personality finished eighth to Dust Commander

Dust Commander

Dust Commander was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse. The name "Dust Commander" is derived from his dam, Dust Storm, and his sire, Bold Commander. A descendant of the great sire Nearco, Dust Commander was bred by the Pullen brothers. He was owned by Robert E. Lehmann and trained by Don Combs...

 in the Derby but came back to win the Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

. Two weeks later, he won the Jersey Derby

Jersey Derby

The Jersey Derby is a $100,000 American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in late July/early August at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Since 1993 it has been raced on grass at a distance of 1 1/16 miles....

, a race at Monmouth Park which at the time was used as a warm-up for the final leg of the Triple Crown. However, Personality developed a fever and his handlers chose not to run him in the Belmont Stakes

Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...

. Stablemate High Echelon did run, and won.

Personality did not return to racing until July 25, 1970, when he ran second in a field of older horses at Aqueduct Racetrack. On August 14, he won the Jim Dandy Stakes

Jim Dandy Stakes

The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It carries a purse of $500,000. Prior...

 at Saratoga Race Course

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...

 and finished second in the September 21 Stymie Handicap

Stymie Handicap

The Stymie Handicap is an American ungraded dirt race for Thoroughbred horses run at Aqueduct Racetrack every year in March, the last month of winter. For horses three-years-old and up, it's set at one mile and one furlong , offering a purse of $65,000 added.The race is named in honor of Stymie,...

 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...

. On October 4, 1970, Personality beat older horses in the Woodward Stakes

Woodward Stakes

The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...

 to clinch American Horse of the Year honors.

Raced at age four, Personality's best result in top races was a second in the Excelsior Handicap

Excelsior Handicap

The Excelsior Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York...

 and a third in the Paumonok Handicap

Paumonok Handicap

The Paumonok Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A six furlong sprint race, it is open to horses aged three years and older and currently offers a purse of $75,000....

.

Retired to stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

 duty, Personality met with very limited success as a sire and in 1979 was sold to a Japanese

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

breeding operation, where he died on November 20, 1990 at age twenty-three.