Affectionately (April 26, 1960 – 1979) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse.

Background

She was sired by 1956 American Horse of the Year Swaps, out of the racing mare

Searching Searching or search may refer to: Computing technology * Search algorithm, including keyword search ** :Search algorithms * Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence * Search engine technology, software for findin ...

. Searching's dam was Big Hurry, by

Black Toney Black Toney (1911–1938) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, owned and raced by Edward R. Bradley Background Black Toney was bred by James R. Keene's Castleton Lyons Farm. Keene, whose health was failing (he died in 1913), so ...

out of

La Troienne La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many nota ...

.La Troienne
Retrieved 2011-06-25. Searching's sire was

War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...

, winner of the American

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...

, whose own sire was

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...

. 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 Hirsch Jacobs (April 8, 1904 – February 13, 1970) was an American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner. Early life Jacobs grew up in East New York, Brooklyn in New York City. As a child he raised pigeons on the roof of his tenement building ...

and Isidor Bieber.

Racing career

Campaigned under the name of Jacobs' wife Ethel, Affectionately won nine of her first ten starts as a two-year-old. In the Matron Stakes she was finally beaten by Smart Deb.Racing Hall of Fame
Retrieved 2011-06-25. 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 Top Flight Invitational Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Listed race, it is open to fillies and mares, age three and older. The event is contested over a distance of one ...

, the

Vagrancy Handicap The Vagrancy Handicap is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old and older run over a distance of furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late May or early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ne ...

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.

Retirement

Her first foal was 1970 co- American Horse of the Year

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, who shared the honor with Fort Marcy. Affectionately produced three other foals, of which one started and won. She died in 1979. Ten years later, she was voted into the Hall of Fame, an honor her dam, Searching, was accorded the year before.

Assessment and honors

At the end of 1962, Affectionately was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly by ''Turf & Sport Digest''. The rival Thoroughbred Racing Association and ''

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceh ...

'' awards were won by Smart Deb. Jacobs, who was a Hall of Fame conditioner, called her "the best horse I've ever trained". Jacobs had trained

Stymie A stymie is an obsolete rule in the sport of golf. It legislated for the situation where a player's ball lay behind or blocked by another player's ball; the blocked player was not afforded relief. In the modern game, the blocking ball is temporar ...

and

Hail to Reason Hail to Reason (April 18, 1958 – February 24, 1976) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire. In a racing career cut short by injury, he was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1960 after winning seven stakes ...

. 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

breeding and racing at its best

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1960 racehorse births 1979 racehorse deaths American Champion racehorses Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 1-x