Personal Ensign has been buried at Claiborne’s Marchmont Cemetery, where the Phipps family’s Easy Goer, Private Account,
A homebred campaigned by the late Ogden Phipps, Personal Ensign was trained by Hall of Fame trainer Shug
“Personal Ensign was the first Breeders’ Cup winner for my
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McGaughey echoed those thoughts.
“She was a wonderful filly who overcame injury to win 13 straight races,” he
said. “She certainly was one of my all-time favorites. She was a career-maker.”
Sired by Phipps standardbearer Private Account, and produced by the Hoist the
Flag mare Grecian Banner, Personal Ensign was foaled at Claiborne on April 27,
1984. Her pedigree featured 5 x 4 inbreeding to 1937 Triple Crown winner, War
Admiral.
Before she made her career debut as a juvenile, her year-older brother,
Personal Flag, showed talent by placing in the 1986 Haskell Invitational H.
(G1), Travers S. (G1) and Woodward S. (G1). Although Personal Flag went on to
become a millionaire, capturing such major events as the 1987 Widener H. (G1)
and 1988 Suburban H. (G1), his accomplishments were destined to be overshadowed
by the historic career of his younger sister.
Personal Ensign made quite an impression in her first start. Dispatched as
the 4-5 favorite, she romped by 12 3/4 lengths in a seven-furlong maiden at a
muddy Belmont Park in late September 1986. The bay filly revealed her battling
qualities next time out in the Frizette S. (G1), where she dueled early and
ultimately prevailed by a head as the 1-5 choice.
Then Personal Ensign’s promising two-year-old campaign was brought to a
sudden halt, and her entire racing future threatened. She fractured her left
hind pastern, which was surgically repaired by the insertion of five screws. The
force of her own unique personality was even stronger than those metal screws.
Brought back with the greatest care by McGaughey, Personal Ensign reappeared
from her 11-month convalescence in a Belmont allowance, and the 3-5 shot
proceeded to dust Ashland S. (G1) winner Chic Shirine by 3 3/4 lengths. After an
even more emphatic, 7 3/4-length allowance triumph in her next outing as the 1-5
choice, she returned to the graded stakes level. Personal Ensign dominated the
Rare Perfume S. (G2) in front-running fashion, as a 4-5 chance should, defeating
Canadian champion One from Heaven by 4 3/4 lengths.
Just eight days later, Personal Ensign took on older distaffers in the 1
1/4-mile Beldame S. (G1). For the only time in her career, she was not sent off
as the odds-on favorite, with that honor going to a five-pronged entry
comprising Wayne Lukas and Nerud family interests. The betting public would not
make the same mistake again. Personal Ensign, the 6-5 second choice, duly rolled
home by 2 1/4 lengths from the classy five-year-old Coup de Fusil, who had won
three straight Grade 1 events going into the Beldame and was part of the entry.
With four terrific efforts compressed into roughly six weeks, she was put away
for the rest of the year.
Personal Ensign kicked off her championship four-year-old season by powering
to a 1 3/4-length score in the 1988 Shuvee H. (G1) at Belmont. Next time out in
the nine-furlong Hempstead H. (G1), she galloped by seven lengths in a sharp
1:47 3/5, spotting runner-up Hometown Queen 14 pounds in the bargain. Personal
Ensign then overcame a 125-pound impost, as well as a rough trip, en route to an
eight-length demolition job in the Molly Pitcher H. (G2) at Monmouth, her first
sortie away from Belmont.
Having established her supremacy over fellow distaffers, Personal Ensign set
her sights on males in the historic Whitney H. (G1) at Saratoga. In a short
field of three, she beat eventual champion sprinter Gulch by 1 1/2 lengths in
the slop, with the veteran King’s Swan 17 lengths astern in third. Gulch was
finishing runner-up in the Whitney for the second straight year; in 1987, he was
collared late by Java Gold. Back at Belmont, Personal Ensign reeled in Kentucky
Derby (G1) heroine Winning Colors by three-quarters of a length in the Maskette
S. (G1) in a quick 1:34 1/5 for the mile, and coasted to a 5 1/2-length title
defense in the Beldame in her farewell to Big Sandy.
Personal Ensign put her perfect mark on the line in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup
Distaff at Churchill Downs, in what turned out to be one of the most exciting
contests in racing history. While future Hall of Famer Winning Colors tried to
emulate her wire-to-wire Derby victory at the same track, and was bowling along
on the lead, Personal Ensign was spinning her wheels in the mud and found
herself far back turning for home.
For a filly who had routinely raced on, or within striking distance of, the
early lead, Personal Ensign appeared to be up against it. But the bespattered
bay somehow dug deep, and willed herself to gain traction, down the stretch.
Rallying boldly, she began to erase the deficit, and the only question was
whether the wire would come in time for Winning Colors. A relentless Personal
Ensign thrust her nose in front in the nick of time, to enshrine herself forever
in the annals of racing lore.
Retired to Claiborne Farm with a bankroll of $1,679,880, Personal Ensign was
named champion older female for 1988. In tandem with full brother Personal Flag,
she lifted their dam Grecian Banner to Broodmare of the Year honors in 1988.
Only five years later, Personal Ensign was voted into the National Museum of
Racing Hall of Fame. Another tribute was forthcoming when the New York Racing
Association renamed the John A. Morris H. (G1), a 1 1/4-mile test at Saratoga,
in honor of Personal Ensign in time for the 1998 running.
Personal Ensign was also a highly successful producer. Honored as Broodmare
of the Year herself in 1996, she produced three Grade 1 winners from 11 foals,
and her offspring have earned $3,727,623. Her first
foal, Miner’s Mark, won six of 18 races, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in
1993, and earned $967,170.
Her fourth foal, My Flag, tallied four Grade 1 wins
during her career — the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 1995 and the Ashland
S., Coaching Club American Oaks and Gazelle H. in 1996. Overall, My Flag won six of 20 starts, earned $1,557,057 and subsequently
produced champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Storm Flag Flying.
A four-time Grade 1 queen and $1,951,828 earner, Storm Flag Flying scored a
poignant triumph in the 2004 edition of the Personal Ensign.
Personal Ensign’s sixth foal, Traditionally, won five of 20 starts, including
the Oaklawn H. (G1) in 2001, and banked $495,660. Personal Ensign also produced
multiple Grade 1-placed Our Emblem
(who sired 2002 Kentucky Derby victor War Emblem), Grade 2-placed Salute and
Grade 3-placed Proud and True. Her final foal, a Forest Wildcat colt, died as a
yearling in 2007. When Personal Ensign was barren that same year, she was
retired from the breeding shed and lived out the rest of her days as a
pensioner.
Personal Ensign continues to exert a legacy through her daughters. Current
Kentucky Derby hopeful Interactif (Broken Vow), a leading contender in
Saturday’s Blue Grass S. (G1), claims Personal Ensign as his third dam. Kentucky
Oaks (G1) aspirant Seeking the Title (Seeking the Gold), a close, dead-heat
third in her stakes debut in the March 26 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), is a
granddaughter of Personal Ensign.
Personal Ensign was much in the news last year, when Zenyatta (Street Cry
[Ire]) equaled her unbeaten streak in the Lady’s Secret S. (G1) in October, then
surpassed it by extending her mark to 14-for-14 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic
(G1) in November. Zenyatta padded her resume to 15-for-15 in the March 13 Santa
Margarita Invitational H. (G1).
Hence it was ironic, one of those sublime twists of fate, that news of
Personal Ensign’s death should come on Friday, just hours before Zenyatta was to
seek continued perfection in the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn Park.