War Emblem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids War Emblem |
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| Sire | Our Emblem |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Sweetest Lady |
| Damsire | Lord at War |
| Sex | Stallion until gelded at age 17 |
| Foaled | February 20, 1999 |
| Died | March 11, 2020 (aged 21) Georgetown, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Dark bay or brown |
| Breeder | Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons |
| Owner | Russell L. Reineman The Thoroughbred Corp. |
| Trainer | Frank R. Springer Bob Baffert |
| Record | 13: 7-0-0 |
| Earnings | $3,491,000 |
| Major wins | |
| Illinois Derby (2002) Haskell Invitational Handicap (2002) American Classic race wins: Kentucky Derby (2002) Preakness Stakes (2002) |
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| Awards | |
| American Champion 3-Yr-Old Male Horse (2002) | |
War Emblem (born February 20, 1999, died March 11, 2020) was a famous American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won two big races in 2002: the 2002 Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
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About War Emblem
War Emblem was born in Kentucky. His father was Our Emblem, and his mother was Sweetest Lady. He was a very dark brown horse, almost black, with a white star on his forehead. When he was a young horse, he didn't sell for much money. So, he raced for Russell Reineman, who owned his mother. Frank Springer was his first trainer.
War Emblem was known for being a bit difficult. He didn't really like people or other horses. His trainer, Bob Baffert, even called him 'Hannibal Lecter' because he sometimes bit people! He also had some bone problems in his knees and ankles. This made some people not want to buy him. When he raced, he loved to be in front. But sometimes, he would act up at the starting gate, which could mess up his race.
Racing Career
As a two-year-old, War Emblem won his very first race. After that, he finished seventh in another race. But he quickly won again in a different type of race. He ended 2001 with two wins out of three starts.
His three-year-old year started a bit rough. He finished fifth and then sixth in his first two races. But then he bounced back with a huge win, finishing more than 10 lengths ahead in an allowance race. He then won the Illinois Derby by over six lengths, leading the whole way. Just three weeks before the Kentucky Derby, Prince Ahmed bin Salman from Saudi Arabia bought most of War Emblem for about $1 million.
Victor Espinoza became his jockey for the 2002 Kentucky Derby. Victor had never even seen War Emblem until the morning of the race! War Emblem was not a favorite, with odds of 21-to-1. But he took the lead early and kept a good pace. Then, he pulled away from the other horses in the final part of the race. He won the Derby in a fast time. This was the first Kentucky Derby win for his new owner, Prince Salman. It was the third win for his new trainer, Bob Baffert. War Emblem beat some really good horses that day. These included Medaglia d'Oro and Perfect Drift.
In the 2002 Preakness Stakes, War Emblem stayed just behind the leaders. He then moved to the front on the last turn. He held on to win, even with another horse trying to catch him. This meant he had a chance to win the Triple Crown! The next race was the Belmont Stakes on June 8. A huge crowd of over 103,000 people came to watch. But War Emblem had a very bad start. He stumbled and almost fell when he left the gate. He then bumped into another horse, losing a lot of ground. He struggled with his jockey, Victor Espinoza, for a while. War Emblem tried to make a comeback in the final turn. But he got tired and faded. A horse named Sarava, who had very long odds, ended up winning. Trainer Bob Baffert had lost the Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line three times now.
War Emblem raced again on August 4 in the Haskell Invitational Handicap. He was the favorite and won easily by 3½ lengths. Bob Baffert said War Emblem was like a "wild horse" that you shouldn't try to change. War Emblem was the first horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Haskell.
Next, War Emblem went to California for the Pacific Classic on August 25. He started poorly but quickly got into second place. However, he got tired near the end and finished sixth. In his last race on October 26, the Breeders' Cup Classic, he finished eighth. War Emblem ended his racing career with seven wins from 13 races. He earned $3,491,000. In his six losses, he never finished better than fifth. He won the Eclipse Award for the best three-year-old male horse in 2002.
Life as a Sire (Reproduction)
In September 2002, War Emblem was sold to the famous Yoshida family in Japan. He cost $17.7 million! He was sent to their Shadai Stallion Station to become a "sire." This means he would be used for breeding new racehorses.
People hoped War Emblem would be a great sire, like other famous horses at Shadai. But he had trouble with breeding. "We know he can have babies, but he's not interested in the female horses," said the farm's director. In his first year, 2003, only four foals were born. His second year was better, with 34 foals. But in 2006, only five foals were born. For the next two years, War Emblem refused almost every female horse. So, no foals were born in 2007 and 2008.
In 2008, experts from the University of Pennsylvania came to help. They suggested keeping him away from other male horses. This seemed to help, and in 2010, he had a record 43 foals. But then he went back to his old ways. In 2010, he only bred with 5 out of 300 mares. In 2012, he bred with only three mares, and none of them got pregnant. In total, he only had 106 registered foals between 2004 and 2011.
Even though he had few foals, many of them were very successful! Out of 111 foals who started racing, 80 of them won races. Together, his children earned over $35 million. His last foal was born in 2012. Some of his successful children include Shonan Alba and Air Pascale. His daughter, Black Emblem, won a big race in Japan called the Shuka Sho. She later had two successful racehorses herself. War Emblem's most famous child was Robe Tissage. She was named the best two-year-old female horse in Japan in 2012.
Retirement and Death
In late 2015, War Emblem stopped his breeding duties. He moved back to the United States. He went to live at Old Friends Equine Retirement in Georgetown, Kentucky. Even though he wasn't going to breed anymore, rules said he had to be tested. This meant he needed to try to breed with two female horses. After a month, War Emblem still refused to breed. To keep him in the U.S., the only choice was to geld him. This operation was successful, and War Emblem recovered well at age 17 in 2016.
War Emblem was found dead in his field at Old Friends Equine on March 11, 2020. He was 21 years old. Doctors later found that he died because of a ruptured small intestine.
Images for kids
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War Emblem
