Affectionately

Affectionately (April 26, 1960 - 1979) 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.^[1] Searching's sire was War Admiral, winner of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, whose own sire was Man o' War (arguably the greatest American race horse of the 20th century).^[2]

In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, with Affectionately's great-granddamsire at #1, her damsire at #13, her sire at #20 and Affectionately herself at #81, Affectionately's heritage continues a tradition of Thoroughbred breeding and racing at its best.

Career

Foaled on April 26, 1960 at the farm of Dr. Charles Hagyard near Lexington, Kentucky, she was bred by the partnership of owner/trainer Hirsch Jacobs and Isidor Bieber. Jacobs, who was a Hall of Fame conditioner, called her "the best horse I've ever trained". Jacobs had trained Stymie and Hail to Reason. Campaigned under the name of Jacobs' wife Ethel, Affectionately won nine of her first ten starts. In the Matron Stakes she was finally beaten by Smart Deb. When Affectionately was named champion two-year-old filly in 1962, she shared the honor with Smart Deb.^[3]

At ages three and four Affectionately was very good, winning two Interborough Handicaps, the Vosburgh, and the Correction Handicap. When she turned five, however, she gained the successes that put her on the list of the 100 best racehorses of the twentieth century. Under high weights, she took the Top Flight Handicap, the Vagrancy Handicap and a number of other important stakes races. She retired sound with eighteen stakes wins, one of only two females to break the half-million-dollar earnings mark. As a broodmare, she was as brilliant as she was a racehorse. Her first foal was 1970 co-American Horse of the Year Personality, who shared the honor with Fort Marcy.

Affectionately died in 1979. Ten years later she was voted into the Hall of Fame, an honor her dam Searching was accorded only the year before.

References