What do you think?
Rate this book
Thoroughbred Legends #17
War Admiral: Thoroughbred Legends
Man o' War didn't run in the Kentucky Derby because owner Sam Riddle thought the distance was too long for 3-year-olds that early in the year. But nearly two decades later, Riddle had a change of heart. In 1937, he agreed to run War Admiral, a son of the great Man o' War, in the Derby. War Admiral swept the Triple Crown and established himself as Man o' War's best son. Author Edward L. Bowen, biographer of Man o' War, chronicles the exploits of his son, including War Admiral's historic battle with the great Seabiscuit.
94 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2002
74 people want to read
About the author
Edward L. Bowen
33 books5 followersEdward L. Bowen was an American Thoroughbred horse racing historian and author, and the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an institution involved in funding equine research.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 8, 2017
I love War Admiral, and this is a good little book about him. The author has an annoying tendency to think he's being funny, or to pass judgment on people he's quoted. Well, if you're quoting them, they must have some worth, yes? And you're not funny. So stop it.
Other than that (minor) annoyance, I liked this book very much. It's a pity Seabiscuit and War Admiral didn't race in an open field race, against other opponents, because I think it would've been interesting to see what happened. I love both horses, but it still would've been interesting, given their different running styles and the competition provided by other horses.
War Admiral was a great stud, too, so after reading the chapter about some of his offspring and the offspring of his offspring and what they accomplished and how they contributed to the breed, I'm not sure why anyone feels he wasn't as good a stallion as his father. He was just as good, if not better, although it must be said that he had better mares than Man o' War did. Still, he was at least on the same level when it came to his stallion career.
Very much recommend this for anyone, not just fans of War Admiral. It may interest the people who only know him from Seabiscuit the movie that he was not, in fact, a huge 18 hands, but was actually about the same size and build as Seabiscuit. If you compare standing pictures of them, there are even facial similarities (not surprising, given that War Admiral's father was Man o' War and Seabiscuit paternal grandfather was Man o' War). Also, public and sportswriter opinions actually were divided on who would win--some said War Admiral, many more said Seabiscuit, who was considered 'gamer'. So it wasn't quite as the movie led you to believe, and this book will help you understand War Admiral's side of the story.
Other than that (minor) annoyance, I liked this book very much. It's a pity Seabiscuit and War Admiral didn't race in an open field race, against other opponents, because I think it would've been interesting to see what happened. I love both horses, but it still would've been interesting, given their different running styles and the competition provided by other horses.
War Admiral was a great stud, too, so after reading the chapter about some of his offspring and the offspring of his offspring and what they accomplished and how they contributed to the breed, I'm not sure why anyone feels he wasn't as good a stallion as his father. He was just as good, if not better, although it must be said that he had better mares than Man o' War did. Still, he was at least on the same level when it came to his stallion career.
Very much recommend this for anyone, not just fans of War Admiral. It may interest the people who only know him from Seabiscuit the movie that he was not, in fact, a huge 18 hands, but was actually about the same size and build as Seabiscuit. If you compare standing pictures of them, there are even facial similarities (not surprising, given that War Admiral's father was Man o' War and Seabiscuit paternal grandfather was Man o' War). Also, public and sportswriter opinions actually were divided on who would win--some said War Admiral, many more said Seabiscuit, who was considered 'gamer'. So it wasn't quite as the movie led you to believe, and this book will help you understand War Admiral's side of the story.
June 13, 2015
War Admiral, the nemesis in the story of Seabiscuit, was quite a fine horse, despite his casting in that book and movie. This is a reasonably well written account of his life. Most of the Thoroughbred Legends series books have a set pattern – covering the ancestry, the breeder, owner, trainer, jockey, and grooms along with the race history and breeding history. They are usually specific and factual. This seemed to be written a bit looser – the author attempts to be pithy every few pages. It doesn’t really work, but I appreciated the effort. This volume seemed to contain a few more stories and didn’t hit all the typical topics, but the topics chosen were good -- it was more interesting than the average. All in all, this is a good effort covering the Triple Crown winner.
May 25, 2025
Most people are probably familiar with War Admiral, as he is portrayed as the nemesis to Seabiscuit in the 2003 movie of the same name. The depiction of him is highly inaccurate, however, and given to some serious Hollywood-esque artistic license. War Admiral was certainly not a giant black horse of 18 hands who was all but invincible - Seabiscuit actually outweighed War Admiral by about a hundred pounds - although Seabiscuit did win their famous match race.
In actual fact: War Admiral's story mirrors that of Seabiscuit in a way that may have made the screenwriters uncomfortable. Like his more famous counterpart, War Admiral's owners didn't think much of him at first sight, but he soon earned their respect. War Admiral was a homebred for Samuel Riddle, the famous owner of Man o'War, War Admiral's spectacular sire. He was foaled at Faraway Farm in Lexington, KY in 1934, and actually had five full siblings, all fillies, none of whom amounted to much on the racetrack.
As in the case of Seabiscuit, and in stark contrast to the way in which he was portrayed in the 2003 film, War Admiral was also a diminutive colt, standing between 15.2 and 15.3 hands, a full hand shorter than his sire and nearly the size of Seabiscuit, who actually outweighed him. He was a scrappy, rangy, dark brown colt who more closely resembled his pony-sized mother, Brushup, who stood at less than 15 hands, than his powerful, copper-coated sire.
War Admiral's physique failed to impress Sam Riddle, although he did keep the colt to see what he could make of him, due to his at-least passable breeding. What War Admiral did apparently inherit from his sire was his fiery temperament, most manifest when attempting to load him into the newfangled starting gates. In fact, he notably delayed all three Triple Crown races due to his behavior loading, in some cases, by nearly ten minutes.
What's also often overlooked is how closely War Admiral and Seabiscuit were related: both were direct descendants of Man o'War - who was War Admiral's sire and Seabiscuit's paternal grandsire, through his son Hard Tack. Again, in the movie, Seabiscuit is portrayed as an ill-bred outsider, compared to royally-bred War Admiral, but that wasn't really the case. The Admiral's dam's only claim to racing royalty was through her damsire, Domino, known as The Black Whirlwind.
War Admiral also didn't start out a terribly promising prospect. He only won three of six races his two-year-old season, and in doing so, established a nemesis of his own, by the name of Pompoon, who is mentioned throughout the book. He began to become more accomplished his three-year-old season, leading his owner Riddle to make a fateful decision - specifically, shipping War Admiral to Kentucky for the derby, which he had not done with Man o'War, reportedly because he didn't like racing outside of his home area of New York and Maryland. If he had, it is almost certain that the two would have been the first and only father/son Triple Crown champions.
War Admiral went off as the favorite, however, owing to a victory in the Chesapeake Stakes, and he didn't disappoint. He won the first leg of the Triple Crown wire-to-wire, beating Pompoon by almost two lengths. At that time, the Preakness Stakes was held only a week later, making a Triple Crown feat even more daunting. War Admiral prevailed over hard-charging Pompoon, however, edging him by just about a head. On June 5, 1937, War Admiral made history, by defeating six rivals in the Belmont Stakes, which he won fairly easily, by three lengths, making him the fourth Triple Crown winner.
His victory came at a price, however. It appears as though War Admiral stumbled at the start, striking the quarter of his right front foot against the starting gate, which sheared off part of his hoof, causing a bloody wound. Apparently, his jockey, Charlie Kurtsinger, didn't notice the injury, so War Admiral ran the entirety of the mile-and-a-half race with a severely bleeding foot. It was only when he was led to the winner's circle that it was discovered that his legs and even his belly were coated in blood.
Due to his injury, War Admiral was out for the summer racing season, returning to the track in October, resulting in three additional victories, making him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old in 1937. He won an additional eight major races his four-year-old season, but famously lost a match race with Seabiscuit, which was run at Pimlico in Baltimore. He raced twice more, but an injury in February, 1939 saw him retired and sent to stud.
War Admiral stood at stud at Faraway Farm until 1958, when Riddle's estate sold the remainder of the property, and Admiral was sent to Hamburg Place in Lexington, which had been founded by John Edward Madden. War Admiral died the following year, in 1959, at the age of twenty-five. He was initially interred on the farm, but was later exhumed and reburied at the Kentucky Horse Park, alongside his famous sire, at the foot of the Man o' War statue, along with several other famous Big Red progeny and descendants.
That might have been the end of his story, were it not for a curious genetic fluke he is believed to have passed down to his progeny. It is well-known that his sire line no longer exists, but he remains a significant figure in modern Thoroughbred pedigrees through his daughters - descendants include Swaps, Buckpasser and three triple Crown winners, which include Seattle Slew and Affirmed. In fact, he appears eight times in the pedigree of American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner.
Some believe that the reason War Admiral was such a superlative broodmare sire is that he was a progenitor of the so-called large-heart gene, known as the X-factor gene, so named because the mutation occurs on the X chromosome. In 1977, Australian scientists published a study which suggested that there was a significant correlation between the heart size of a mare and that of her foals, suggesting a sex-link in the inheritance of a larger-than-normal heart.
The researchers also suggested that 23% of a racehorse's quality is related to heart size. Secretariat's heart famously weighed an estimated 22 pounds, making it almost three times the size of a normal Thoroughbred heart. Other well-known, heart-weighed individuals include Phar Lap (14 lbs.), and Princequillo descendants Sham, Secretariat's great rival (18 lbs.) and Key to the Mint (16 lbs.).
A controversial book, entitled "The X Factor: What It Is and How to Find It- The Relationship Between Inherited Heart Size and Racing Performance," by Marianna Haun, traces the so-called large-heart gene to a single mare, Pocahontas (GB), foaled in 1837. She, in turn, traces to Eclipse (GB), foaled in 1764, who is believed to be the X-factor progenitor in the United States, which can possibly be traced as far back as a horse named Hautboy, a founding Thoroughbred sire of the seventeenth century.
Further: Haun believes that four stallions in the US are responsible for the large-heart gene in modern pedigrees. These include, notably, War Admiral (through his dam Brushup and second dam Sweep), as well as Princequillo, the damsire of Secretariat, Blue Larkspur and Mahmoud (who founded the Northern Dancer line), all descendants of Eclipse. There are also believed to be "single-" and "double-copy" carriers of the gene as well.
It's worth noting, however, that many believe that this entire theory is flawed beyond redemption, however, and even the existence of the so-called X-factor gene is in great dispute. Regardless, War Admiral remains a mainstay of modern pedigrees, so his legacy will no doubt continue.
The book was interesting, but quite dry reading, actually, consisting of little more than a recitation of facts and figures. It also assumes quite a lot of knowledge on the part of the reader, so novices or those not familiar with early 20th-century horse racing may have some difficulty with all the name-dropping. It's a good overview for such a short book, but could have been more engaging. This is my first in this series, so I'll have to see what the others are like.
In actual fact: War Admiral's story mirrors that of Seabiscuit in a way that may have made the screenwriters uncomfortable. Like his more famous counterpart, War Admiral's owners didn't think much of him at first sight, but he soon earned their respect. War Admiral was a homebred for Samuel Riddle, the famous owner of Man o'War, War Admiral's spectacular sire. He was foaled at Faraway Farm in Lexington, KY in 1934, and actually had five full siblings, all fillies, none of whom amounted to much on the racetrack.
As in the case of Seabiscuit, and in stark contrast to the way in which he was portrayed in the 2003 film, War Admiral was also a diminutive colt, standing between 15.2 and 15.3 hands, a full hand shorter than his sire and nearly the size of Seabiscuit, who actually outweighed him. He was a scrappy, rangy, dark brown colt who more closely resembled his pony-sized mother, Brushup, who stood at less than 15 hands, than his powerful, copper-coated sire.
War Admiral's physique failed to impress Sam Riddle, although he did keep the colt to see what he could make of him, due to his at-least passable breeding. What War Admiral did apparently inherit from his sire was his fiery temperament, most manifest when attempting to load him into the newfangled starting gates. In fact, he notably delayed all three Triple Crown races due to his behavior loading, in some cases, by nearly ten minutes.
What's also often overlooked is how closely War Admiral and Seabiscuit were related: both were direct descendants of Man o'War - who was War Admiral's sire and Seabiscuit's paternal grandsire, through his son Hard Tack. Again, in the movie, Seabiscuit is portrayed as an ill-bred outsider, compared to royally-bred War Admiral, but that wasn't really the case. The Admiral's dam's only claim to racing royalty was through her damsire, Domino, known as The Black Whirlwind.
War Admiral also didn't start out a terribly promising prospect. He only won three of six races his two-year-old season, and in doing so, established a nemesis of his own, by the name of Pompoon, who is mentioned throughout the book. He began to become more accomplished his three-year-old season, leading his owner Riddle to make a fateful decision - specifically, shipping War Admiral to Kentucky for the derby, which he had not done with Man o'War, reportedly because he didn't like racing outside of his home area of New York and Maryland. If he had, it is almost certain that the two would have been the first and only father/son Triple Crown champions.
War Admiral went off as the favorite, however, owing to a victory in the Chesapeake Stakes, and he didn't disappoint. He won the first leg of the Triple Crown wire-to-wire, beating Pompoon by almost two lengths. At that time, the Preakness Stakes was held only a week later, making a Triple Crown feat even more daunting. War Admiral prevailed over hard-charging Pompoon, however, edging him by just about a head. On June 5, 1937, War Admiral made history, by defeating six rivals in the Belmont Stakes, which he won fairly easily, by three lengths, making him the fourth Triple Crown winner.
His victory came at a price, however. It appears as though War Admiral stumbled at the start, striking the quarter of his right front foot against the starting gate, which sheared off part of his hoof, causing a bloody wound. Apparently, his jockey, Charlie Kurtsinger, didn't notice the injury, so War Admiral ran the entirety of the mile-and-a-half race with a severely bleeding foot. It was only when he was led to the winner's circle that it was discovered that his legs and even his belly were coated in blood.
Due to his injury, War Admiral was out for the summer racing season, returning to the track in October, resulting in three additional victories, making him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old in 1937. He won an additional eight major races his four-year-old season, but famously lost a match race with Seabiscuit, which was run at Pimlico in Baltimore. He raced twice more, but an injury in February, 1939 saw him retired and sent to stud.
War Admiral stood at stud at Faraway Farm until 1958, when Riddle's estate sold the remainder of the property, and Admiral was sent to Hamburg Place in Lexington, which had been founded by John Edward Madden. War Admiral died the following year, in 1959, at the age of twenty-five. He was initially interred on the farm, but was later exhumed and reburied at the Kentucky Horse Park, alongside his famous sire, at the foot of the Man o' War statue, along with several other famous Big Red progeny and descendants.
That might have been the end of his story, were it not for a curious genetic fluke he is believed to have passed down to his progeny. It is well-known that his sire line no longer exists, but he remains a significant figure in modern Thoroughbred pedigrees through his daughters - descendants include Swaps, Buckpasser and three triple Crown winners, which include Seattle Slew and Affirmed. In fact, he appears eight times in the pedigree of American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner.
Some believe that the reason War Admiral was such a superlative broodmare sire is that he was a progenitor of the so-called large-heart gene, known as the X-factor gene, so named because the mutation occurs on the X chromosome. In 1977, Australian scientists published a study which suggested that there was a significant correlation between the heart size of a mare and that of her foals, suggesting a sex-link in the inheritance of a larger-than-normal heart.
The researchers also suggested that 23% of a racehorse's quality is related to heart size. Secretariat's heart famously weighed an estimated 22 pounds, making it almost three times the size of a normal Thoroughbred heart. Other well-known, heart-weighed individuals include Phar Lap (14 lbs.), and Princequillo descendants Sham, Secretariat's great rival (18 lbs.) and Key to the Mint (16 lbs.).
A controversial book, entitled "The X Factor: What It Is and How to Find It- The Relationship Between Inherited Heart Size and Racing Performance," by Marianna Haun, traces the so-called large-heart gene to a single mare, Pocahontas (GB), foaled in 1837. She, in turn, traces to Eclipse (GB), foaled in 1764, who is believed to be the X-factor progenitor in the United States, which can possibly be traced as far back as a horse named Hautboy, a founding Thoroughbred sire of the seventeenth century.
Further: Haun believes that four stallions in the US are responsible for the large-heart gene in modern pedigrees. These include, notably, War Admiral (through his dam Brushup and second dam Sweep), as well as Princequillo, the damsire of Secretariat, Blue Larkspur and Mahmoud (who founded the Northern Dancer line), all descendants of Eclipse. There are also believed to be "single-" and "double-copy" carriers of the gene as well.
It's worth noting, however, that many believe that this entire theory is flawed beyond redemption, however, and even the existence of the so-called X-factor gene is in great dispute. Regardless, War Admiral remains a mainstay of modern pedigrees, so his legacy will no doubt continue.
The book was interesting, but quite dry reading, actually, consisting of little more than a recitation of facts and figures. It also assumes quite a lot of knowledge on the part of the reader, so novices or those not familiar with early 20th-century horse racing may have some difficulty with all the name-dropping. It's a good overview for such a short book, but could have been more engaging. This is my first in this series, so I'll have to see what the others are like.
June 16, 2024
Edward L. Bowen wrote the plodding Thoroughbred Legends book on War Admiral's sire, the legendary Man o' War. However, he does a much better job examining the racing career of War Admiral. The prose is livelier, often tongue-in-cheek at times, and ends with a splendid sentence.
Bowen also knew when to step away from the narration and let other writers take over. He selected some truly vivid passages from turf writers of the day. He even quotes two short passages from the queen of racehorse writers, Laura Hillenbrand.
War Admiral is best known as losing to Seabiscuit in their epic 1938 match race. However, he was also a Triple Crown winner and arguably Man o' War's best son. He sure made a lot of people a lot of money.
Not much is known about War Admiral's personality, except that he hated that brand-new monster at the track, the starting gate, according to Bowen. However, I don't think he searched hard enough. A horse's quirks never interested Bowen, unless they impacted a horse's racing. This is why Laura Hillenbrandt's landmark book on Seabiscuit was a bestseller and none of Bowen's books ever were.
Bowen does something he should've done in the Man o' War book -- look at why the public considered Big Red a superstar. If it wasn't for Seabiscuit, War Admiral would also be a legend. His Belmont victory was arguably the inspiration for the race scene in Walter Farley's classic, The Black Stallion. War Admiral injured himself right before the start of the Belmont. He won, despite blood spurting from the wound with every stride. He entered the winner's circle with his belly covered in blood. The dramatic injury wound up being minor.
Bowen sometimes writes rhetorical questions as he compares racing of the 1930s to that of 2001, when the book was written. He doesn't spell out how the Thoroughbred as a breed has deteriorated in such a short amount of time, but it's pretty obvious.
There is a brief look at War Admiral's and Man o' Wars stud careers, and how they have impacted the modern Thoroughbred. There is also a tantalizing glimpse at another Man o' War son that did great at stud, War Relic. Someone, please write a book on War Relic.
The middle of the book contains a few pages of high quality black and white photographs. One shows a dog. The caption stated that the dog and War Admiral were buddies, but the dog is never mentioned in the text. There is also a great photo of the Adniral acting up at the start of a race.
Bowen also knew when to step away from the narration and let other writers take over. He selected some truly vivid passages from turf writers of the day. He even quotes two short passages from the queen of racehorse writers, Laura Hillenbrand.
War Admiral is best known as losing to Seabiscuit in their epic 1938 match race. However, he was also a Triple Crown winner and arguably Man o' War's best son. He sure made a lot of people a lot of money.
Not much is known about War Admiral's personality, except that he hated that brand-new monster at the track, the starting gate, according to Bowen. However, I don't think he searched hard enough. A horse's quirks never interested Bowen, unless they impacted a horse's racing. This is why Laura Hillenbrandt's landmark book on Seabiscuit was a bestseller and none of Bowen's books ever were.
Bowen does something he should've done in the Man o' War book -- look at why the public considered Big Red a superstar. If it wasn't for Seabiscuit, War Admiral would also be a legend. His Belmont victory was arguably the inspiration for the race scene in Walter Farley's classic, The Black Stallion. War Admiral injured himself right before the start of the Belmont. He won, despite blood spurting from the wound with every stride. He entered the winner's circle with his belly covered in blood. The dramatic injury wound up being minor.
Bowen sometimes writes rhetorical questions as he compares racing of the 1930s to that of 2001, when the book was written. He doesn't spell out how the Thoroughbred as a breed has deteriorated in such a short amount of time, but it's pretty obvious.
There is a brief look at War Admiral's and Man o' Wars stud careers, and how they have impacted the modern Thoroughbred. There is also a tantalizing glimpse at another Man o' War son that did great at stud, War Relic. Someone, please write a book on War Relic.
The middle of the book contains a few pages of high quality black and white photographs. One shows a dog. The caption stated that the dog and War Admiral were buddies, but the dog is never mentioned in the text. There is also a great photo of the Adniral acting up at the start of a race.
April 26, 2026
A quick and informative read. There were some things that I did not know. War Admiral was a tough little horse!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews