Y – #5 – Personal Ensign – horseracing20thcentury99.com

Top Ten Fillies & Mares Twentieth Century

#5

Personal Ensign

(1986 - 1988)

Personal Ensign, with her regular rider Randy Romero up, winning the 1984 Rare Perfume Stakes over One From Heaven at Belmont Park.

Photo: NYRA

PEDIGREE

Bay Filly

OWNER

Ogden Phipps

TRAINER

Shug McGaughey

BREEDER

Ogden Phipps

Some Facts

Personal Ensign was born in Kentucky on April 27, 1984. She was bred by her owner, Ogden Phipps.
Her sire was Private Account, which was by Damascus, and out of the Buckpasser mare, Numbered Account, a line that is littered with stakes winners. Private Account, which won two ten-furlong G1 stakes in 1980, the Widener and Gulfstream Park Handicaps, sired seven millionaire earners. Besides Personal Ensign, they include Inside Information, Valley Crossing, Personal Flag (Personal Ensign’s half-brother), Private Terms, Public Purse and Corporate Report. Another, Unaccounted For, fell just $1,500 short of becoming the sire’s eighth million-dollar earner.
By the end of 1999, Personal Ensign was tied with Tremont for second longest North American undefeated streak at 13, two behind Colin. All time, she is currently tied for third as Pepper’s Pride, who finished her career 19-0 is the leader.
Personal Ensign faced males just once in her career. It was in the 1988 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, which she won by a length and a half over Gulch in 1:47 4/5.
The heaviest weight that Personal Ensign carried was 125 pounds in the 1988 G2 Molly Pitcher Handicap. She was bumped and in trouble early in this race but rebounded to draw off and win by eight lengths over Grecian Flight, the greatest margin of victory in her career.
Personal Ensign won her thirteen career starts by a combined total of 56 lengths, 4 ¼ on average, but she had two close calls. The first was in the G1 Frizette at Belmont Park, just the second start of her career, in which she raced head-and-head from the half-mile pole home and won by a head over Collins. The second time would become one of the most iconic moments in racing history. It was in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs, contested at nine furlongs. This was the final race of her career, and she was up against that year’s Kentucky Derby and Santa Anita Derby winner, Winning Colors. Eight lengths behind as they neared the top of the stretch, it looked impossible, but Personal Ensign never knew the word quit and, with a furious effort, got up in the final jump to win the biggest race of her career and also preserve her undefeated record.
Personal Ensign was ridden by Randy Romero in every one of her starts except for an allowance race in which Jerry Baily rode her. Oddly, she was the odds-on favorite in all her races except for one. In that one, the 1987 Beldame Stakes, she was up against a five-horse D. Wayne Lukas/John Nerud entry, which was 4-5 and beat them all as the 6-5 second betting favorite.
In her career, Personal Ensign won eight grade-one races.
Personal Ensign had tremendous success in the breeding shed producing My Flag (Easy Goer), which won four grade one’s including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly, Coaching Club of America Oaks, the Ashland Stakes and Gazelle Handicap; and $1.55M; Miner’s Mark (Mr. Prospector), which won the grade one Jockey Club Gold Cup; Traditionally (Mr. Prospector) the grade one Oaklawn Handicap; and Our Emblem (Mr. Prospector) who was second by a nose in the grade one Carter Handicap.
Personal Ensign died on April 8, 2010. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1993.