Crafty Admiral (June 6, 1948 – 1972) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who was the 1952

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

and

Leading broodmare sire in North America The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of broodmares in North America for each year since 1924. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire. The most f ...

in 1978.

Background

A very late foal, Crafty Admiral's dam, Admiral's Lady, died after producing the colt. He was purchased for $6,500 as a yearling by

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

at a special auction of

Harry Guggenheim Harry Frank Guggenheim (August 23, 1890 – January 22, 1971) was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. Early life He was born August 23, 1890, in the Wst End section of Long Branch, New Jersey. H ...

horses held in the paddock at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

. In late 1951, Grant sold him to Charles and Frances Cohen, a husband-and-wife team who raced under the name of Charfran Stable.

Racing career

Crafty Admiral set a new track record for seven

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s in winning the 1952

Palm Beach Handicap The Palm Beach Handicap is a discontinued American Grade 3 Thoroughbred horse race run between 1937 and 1976 at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Open to horses aged three and older, from inception through 1965 it was run on dirt aft ...

Hialeah Park Race Track The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East ...

At stud

Retired to stud in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in 1954, Crafty Admiral sired twenty-six stakes winners, including Crafty Lace, Crafty Khale and

Admiral's Voyage Admiral's Voyage (1959–1989) was an American thoroughbred horse that was bred and raced by Fred W. Hooper. Admiral's Voyage won 12 out of his 52 starts during four seasons of racing, earning a total of $455,879. As a three-year-old, Admiral's V ...

who was the damsire of Danzig. Through his daughter, Won't Tell You, he is the damsire of 1978 U.S. Triple Crown champion

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known ...

whose earnings helped make Crafty Admiral that year's

. Bowen, Edward L. ''Legacies Of The Turf: A Century Of Great Thoroughbred Breeders, Volume 2'', p. 80 (20034)

Eclipse Press Blood-Horse Publications is an American multimedia publishing house focused on horse-related magazines headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It began in 1916 through its flagship magazine, ''The Blood-Horse''. From 1961 to 2015, Blood-Horse Public ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1948 racehorse births 1972 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Champion racehorses American Champion Thoroughbred broodmare sires Thoroughbred family 8-c