Personal Ensign was both a talented athlete and a prolific broodmare, finishing her career undefeated in 1988 with 13 wins before going on to produce nine great foals. She was the first notable American racehorse to go undefeated her entire career since Colin in 1908.
Personal Ensign won her first race in 1986 at two years old with a late burst of speed that resulted in a win by 12 ¾ lengths, but she was tested in her second race, winning by a head. After these two races, she suffered a fractured pastern that nearly ended her career, but she bounced back from surgery as fast as ever. She was known for having amazing races even against male horses, such as her victory in the prestigious Whitney Handicap in 1988. Her 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff race was noteworthy because of her incredibly close victory over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors, an amazing finish that was ranked 42nd in Horse Racing’s Top 100 Moments compiled by The Blood-Horse.
She won the American champion older female horse award in 1988 from Eclipse and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1993. Personal Ensign was rated #48 among the top 100 American racehorses and ranked fourth among the 26 fillies and mares of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse.
Personal Ensign never stopped impressing people even in retirement. Nine of her ten named foals started and won, and she was named the 1996 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year. She was an alpha mare in the Phipps broodmare band and possessed a strong protective instinct towards her foals. She survived a potentially lethal case of peritonitis in 1996.
Horse Profile
- Foaled: April 27, 1984
- Bred: USA
- Sex: Mare
- Debuted: 1986
- Retired: 1988
- Death:April 8, 2010, of natural causes at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky
- Color and Markings: Bay
- Sire: Private Account
- Dam: Grecian Banner
- Owner: Ogden Phipps
- Breeder: Ogden Phipps
- Trainer: Claude McGaughey
- Regular Jockey: Randy Romero
Characteristics
Personal Ensign was a lanky yet attractive good-sized bay mare with an angular make and a long head. She was a strong-willed, independent, and stubborn horse. She showed great determination on the track, but her temperament varied from aloof to unruly. As a broodmare, she possessed a strong maternal instinct.
Historical Achievements, Honors Received, and Recognitions
- Monmouth Park Hall of Champions
- Eclipse Award, American champion older female (1988)
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1993)
- Kentucky Broodmare of the Year (1996)
Rankings
- Personal Ensign was rated #48 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by The Blood-Horse. She ranked fourth among the 26 fillies and mares on the list.
- Her win in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff was ranked #42 in Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments.
- She was rated 120 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1986, 3 pounds below champion filly Brave Raj.
Stud Career
Personal Ensign birthed 10 named foals, of which nine started and won.
Racing Career
| Record | Earnings |
|---|---|
13: 13-0-0 | $1,679,880 |
| WON RACES – UNDEFEATED | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Finish | Winning Time | Winning Margin | Jockey |
1986 – Two-year-old season | ||||||||
September 28, 1986 | 7 Furlongs | Maiden | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:22.8 | 12 3⁄4 lengths | Randy P. Romero | |
October 13, 1986 | 8 Furlongs | Frizette Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:36.4 | Head | Randy P. Romero |
1987 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
September 6, 1987 | 7 Furlongs | Allowance | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:23.2 | 3 3⁄4 lengths | Jerry D. Bailey | |
September 24, 1987 | 1 Mile | Allowance | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:36.2 | 7 3⁄4 lengths | Randy P. Romero | |
October 10, 1987 | 1 Mile | Rare Perfume Handicap | II | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:36.6 | 4 3⁄4 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
October 18, 1987 | 1 1/4 Miles | Beldame Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:04.4 | 2 1⁄4 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
1988 – Three-year-old season | ||||||||
May 15, 1988 | 1 1/16 Miles | Shuvee Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:41.6 | 1 3⁄4 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
June 11, 1988 | 1 ⅛ Miles | Hempstead Handicap | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:47.6 | 7 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
July 4, 1988 | 1 1/16 Miles | Molly Pitcher Stakes | II | Monmouth Park | 1 | 1:41.8 | 8 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
August 6, 1988 | 1 ⅛ Miles | Whitney Handicap | I | Saratoga Race Course | 1 | 1:47.8 | 1 1⁄2 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
September 10, 1988 | 1 Mile | Maskette Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 1:34.2 | 3⁄4 length | Randy P. Romero |
October 16, 1988 | 1 ¼ Miles | Beldame Stakes | I | Belmont Park | 1 | 2:01.2 | 5 1⁄2 lengths | Randy P. Romero |
November 5, 1988 | 1 ⅛ Miles | Breeders' Cup Distaff | I | Churchill Downs | I | 1:52 | nose | Randy P. Romero |
Fun facts
- Personal Ensign, as a broodmare, developed peritonitis, the same inflammation of the abdominal lining that killed her dam, Grecian Banner. Fortunately, she fought it off and survived.
- The Personal Ensign Handicap that was inaugurated in 1997 replaced the John A. Morris Handicap on the New York Racing Association’s calendar. It is currently run as a Grade 1 race over 9 furlongs on dirt for fillies and mares 3 and older at Saratoga.
- Personal Ensign’s rivalry with Winning Colors was featured as the 16th chapter of Horse Racing’s Greatest Rivalries, a compilation produced by the staff of The Blood-Horse.
- Personal Ensign is one of 50 Thoroughbreds profiled in Royal Blood: Fifty Years of Classic Thoroughbreds.
- Personal Ensign was one of nearly 100 older Thoroughbreds profiled in photographs and essays in Barbara Livingston’s More Old Friends: Visits With My Favorite Thoroughbreds.