After Searching went winless in her first 20 starts, selling her seemed a reasonable thing to do for Ogden Phipps. After all, he had several other daughters and granddaughters of La Troienne who were either proven producers or had better race records. And in truth, trainer Hirsch Jacobs, was not buying her for her racing potential but for her bloodlines. He believed that La Troienne was going to be a great foundation mare and had already claimed another Phipps-bred La Troienne granddaughter, No Fiddling, for US$7,500.
Jacobs was a first-rate horseman, however, and quickly realized that his new purchase had tender feet. With a layer of felt inserted between her shoes and her hoofs to lessen the pounding from the track, Searching was a different filly, winning 25 of her remaining 69 career starts including a dozen stakes races. Although she never won an official championship, her record was enough to gain admission to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, joining her sire War Admiral, her grandsire Man o' War, and her great-grandsire Fair Play. She would continue the chain by producing another Hall of Fame member, Affectionately, as the highlight of a highly successful broodmare career.
Race record
89 starts, 25 wins, 14 seconds, 16 thirds, US$327,381
1955:
1956:
1957:
1958:
Honors
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1978)
Assessments
Rated at 121 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1955, 5 pounds below champion 3-year-old filly and co-champion handicap female Misty Morn and 7 pounds below the overall highweight, co-champion handicap female Parlo (a 4-year-old).
Rated at 122 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1956, 4 pounds below champion handicap female Blue Sparkler but second among older females.
Rated at 120 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1957, 6 pounds below champion handicap female Pucker Up.
Rated at 120 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1958, 7 pounds below champion handicap female Bornastar.
As an individual
A small (not quite 15.2 hands), narrowly built bay mare with a pretty head and a look of quality, Searching had thin-soled feet which required careful handling; she also could not be trained hard and got most of her conditioning through her races. Other than her feet, she was quite correct with excellent overall balance and conformation. She was retired after fracturing sesamoids in her right front ankle.
As a producer
Designated as a Reine-de-Course by pedigree analyst Ellen Parker, Searching produced eight named foals. All were starters and seven were winners. Her important foals are as follow:
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky at Claiborne Farm, Searching was bred and owned by Ogden Phipps. She was purchased privately for US$15,000 by Hirsch Jacobs on May 27, 1955, and raced thereafter in the colors of his wife Ethel. She was trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons prior to her sale and by Hirsch Jacobs afterwards. As a broodmare, she was owned by Bieber-Jacobs Stable until 1966, when she was sold privately to George Humphrey's Whileaway Farm.
Pedigree notes
Searching is inbred 4x4 to Ben Brush and 5x5 to Domino. She is a full sister to the stakes-winning colts The Admiral and Great Captain and a half sister to 1946 American champion 3-year-old filly Bridal Flower (by Challenger II) and stakes winner Be Fearless (by Burgoo King). She is also a half sister to No Fiddling (by King Cole), dam of 1967 American champion handicap female Straight Deal (by Hail to Reason) and second dam of 1966 American champion 2-year-old filly Regal Gleam (by Hail to Reason) and four other stakes winners.
Three more of Searching's half sisters also produced stakes winners. They are Blue Line (by Burgoo King), dam of 1952 Pimlico Futurity winner Isasmoothie (by Rosemont); Ambulance (by Ambiorix), dam of multiple stakes winner King of the Castle (by Bold Ruler); and Allemande (by Counterpoint), dam of 1966 Acorn Stakes winner Marking Time (by To Market), whose champion daughter Relaxing (by Buckpasser) produced 1988 American champion 2-year-old male Easy Goer (by Alydar) and his Grade 1-winning siblings Cadillacing (by Alydar) and Easy Now (by Danzig). In addition, Searching's half sister Dashing By (by Menow) is the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner True Knight and the third dam of 1991 Irish champion older male Zoman (by Affirmed).
Searching's dam Big Hurry won the 1938 Selima Stakes and is a full sister to 1935 American champion 3-year-old filly Black Helen and two-time American champion Bimelech and a half sister to 1946 Selima Stakes winner Bee Ann Mac (by Blue Larkspur) and stakes winner Biologist (by Bubbling Over). She is also a half sister to Baby League (by Bubbling Over) and Businesslike (by Blue Larkspur), both major stakes producers and ancestresses of major branches of La Troienne's family. La Troienne is a full sister to Lincolnshire Handicap winner Leonidas and a half sister to 1934 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner Adargatis, who was sired by Teddy's son Astérus.
Books and media
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: October 26, 2020
Jacobs was a first-rate horseman, however, and quickly realized that his new purchase had tender feet. With a layer of felt inserted between her shoes and her hoofs to lessen the pounding from the track, Searching was a different filly, winning 25 of her remaining 69 career starts including a dozen stakes races. Although she never won an official championship, her record was enough to gain admission to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, joining her sire War Admiral, her grandsire Man o' War, and her great-grandsire Fair Play. She would continue the chain by producing another Hall of Fame member, Affectionately, as the highlight of a highly successful broodmare career.
Race record
89 starts, 25 wins, 14 seconds, 16 thirds, US$327,381
1955:
- Won Vagrancy Handicap (first division) (USA, 7FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Gallorette Stakes (USA, 9FD, Pimlico)
- 2nd Firenze Handicap (USA, 9FD, Jamaica)
1956:
- Won Maskette Handicap (USA, 8FD, Belmont)
- Won Top Flight Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Belmont)
- Won Diana Handicap (USA, 9FD, Saratoga)
- Won Correction Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- 2nd New Castle Stakes (USA, 8.5FD, Delaware)
- 2nd Barbara Fritchie Handicap (USA, 7FD, Bowie)
- 2nd Vagrancy Handicap (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Beldame Handicap (USA, 9FD, Belmont)
- 3rd American Legion Handicap (USA, 7FD, Saratoga)
- 3rd Interborough Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- 3rd Gallorette Stakes (USA, 9FD, Pimlico)
1957:
- Won Distaff Handicap (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
- Won Gallorette Stakes (USA, 9FD, Pimlico)
- 2nd Diana Handicap (USA, 9FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Vagrancy Handicap (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Spinster Stakes (USA, 9FD, Keeneland)
1958:
- Won Diana Handicap (USA, 9FD, Saratoga)
- Won Molly Pitcher Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Monmouth)
- Won Correction Handicap (USA, 6FD, Jamaica)
- Won Matriarch Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Monmouth)
- 3rd Bed o' Roses Handicap (USA, 8.5FD, Jamaica)
- 3rd Distaff Handicap (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
Honors
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1978)
Assessments
Rated at 121 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1955, 5 pounds below champion 3-year-old filly and co-champion handicap female Misty Morn and 7 pounds below the overall highweight, co-champion handicap female Parlo (a 4-year-old).
Rated at 122 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1956, 4 pounds below champion handicap female Blue Sparkler but second among older females.
Rated at 120 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1957, 6 pounds below champion handicap female Pucker Up.
Rated at 120 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American fillies and mares of 1958, 7 pounds below champion handicap female Bornastar.
As an individual
A small (not quite 15.2 hands), narrowly built bay mare with a pretty head and a look of quality, Searching had thin-soled feet which required careful handling; she also could not be trained hard and got most of her conditioning through her races. Other than her feet, she was quite correct with excellent overall balance and conformation. She was retired after fracturing sesamoids in her right front ankle.
As a producer
Designated as a Reine-de-Course by pedigree analyst Ellen Parker, Searching produced eight named foals. All were starters and seven were winners. Her important foals are as follow:
- Affectionately (1960, by Swaps) is the American champion 2-year-old filly of 1962 and the American champion sprinter and co-champion handicap female of 1965. She is the dam of 1970 American champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year Personality (by Hail to Reason).
- Admiring (1962, by Hail to Reason) won the 1964 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes. She is the dam of multiple Grade II winner Glowing Tribute (by Graustark), who was named 1993 Broodmare of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association after the Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) victory of her son Sea Hero (by Polish Navy), one of her seven stakes winners. Admiring also produced Courting Days (by Bold Lad), dam of the Irish Group 2 winner and useful sire Magesterial (by Northern Dancer), and Wealth of Nations (by Key to the Mint), second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Lite Light.
- Priceless Gem (1963, by Hail to Reason) won the 1965 Frizette Stakes and Futurity Stakes. She is the dam of the great Allez France (by Sea-Bird), whose five French championship titles include Horse of the Year honors in 1974. Allez France, in turn, is the dam of French Group 3 winner Action Francaise (by Nureyev), dam of French Group 3 winners Android (by Riverman) and Article Rare (by El Prado) and French stakes winners Astorg (by Lear Fan), Airline (by Woodman) and Art Moderne (by Woodman). Priceless Gem is also the dam of Noble Bijou (by Vaguely Noble), a four-time champion sire and five-time champion broodmare sire in New Zealand; of Lady Winborne (by Secretariat), dam of six stakes winners including Grade 1 winners Al Mamoon (by Believe It) and La Gueriere (by Lord At War) and Grade 3 winner Lost Soldier (by Danzig); of Priceless Countess (by Vaguely Noble), dam of 1996 Moet Champagne Stakes (USA-G1) winner Ordway (by Salt Lake) and second dam of multiple Indian stakes winner Regal Connection; and of Sans Prix (by Vaguely Noble), dam of Grade 2 winner Special Price and stakes-winning hurdler Soldat (both by Bering).
- Searching Around (1969, by Round Table) is the dam of stakes winner Stashed (by Key to the Mint).
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky at Claiborne Farm, Searching was bred and owned by Ogden Phipps. She was purchased privately for US$15,000 by Hirsch Jacobs on May 27, 1955, and raced thereafter in the colors of his wife Ethel. She was trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons prior to her sale and by Hirsch Jacobs afterwards. As a broodmare, she was owned by Bieber-Jacobs Stable until 1966, when she was sold privately to George Humphrey's Whileaway Farm.
Pedigree notes
Searching is inbred 4x4 to Ben Brush and 5x5 to Domino. She is a full sister to the stakes-winning colts The Admiral and Great Captain and a half sister to 1946 American champion 3-year-old filly Bridal Flower (by Challenger II) and stakes winner Be Fearless (by Burgoo King). She is also a half sister to No Fiddling (by King Cole), dam of 1967 American champion handicap female Straight Deal (by Hail to Reason) and second dam of 1966 American champion 2-year-old filly Regal Gleam (by Hail to Reason) and four other stakes winners.
Three more of Searching's half sisters also produced stakes winners. They are Blue Line (by Burgoo King), dam of 1952 Pimlico Futurity winner Isasmoothie (by Rosemont); Ambulance (by Ambiorix), dam of multiple stakes winner King of the Castle (by Bold Ruler); and Allemande (by Counterpoint), dam of 1966 Acorn Stakes winner Marking Time (by To Market), whose champion daughter Relaxing (by Buckpasser) produced 1988 American champion 2-year-old male Easy Goer (by Alydar) and his Grade 1-winning siblings Cadillacing (by Alydar) and Easy Now (by Danzig). In addition, Searching's half sister Dashing By (by Menow) is the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner True Knight and the third dam of 1991 Irish champion older male Zoman (by Affirmed).
Searching's dam Big Hurry won the 1938 Selima Stakes and is a full sister to 1935 American champion 3-year-old filly Black Helen and two-time American champion Bimelech and a half sister to 1946 Selima Stakes winner Bee Ann Mac (by Blue Larkspur) and stakes winner Biologist (by Bubbling Over). She is also a half sister to Baby League (by Bubbling Over) and Businesslike (by Blue Larkspur), both major stakes producers and ancestresses of major branches of La Troienne's family. La Troienne is a full sister to Lincolnshire Handicap winner Leonidas and a half sister to 1934 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner Adargatis, who was sired by Teddy's son Astérus.
Books and media
- Searching is profiled in Chapter 9 of John Sparkman's Foundation Mares: How Outstanding Female Families Shaped America's Breeding Industry (2008, Thoroughbred Times Books).
- Searching is one of 50 Thoroughbreds profiled in Royal Blood: Fifty Years of Classic Thoroughbreds. Written by racing historian Jim Bolus with illustrations and commentary by noted equine artist Richard Stone Reeves, the book was released by The Blood-Horse, Inc., in 1994.
Fun facts
- The field that Searching defeated in the 1956 Top Flight Handicap was one of the finest ever assembled in a race for fillies and mares. Aside from Searching herself, it included three mares that won official championships during their careers and six that won races later classed as Grade 1 events.
- Because of her small size and slight build, Searching needed special accommodation when bred to much larger stallions, as she was several times during her career. For example, when she was bred to the husky Swaps in the mating that produced Affectionately, the breeding crew kept the mare walking forward slowly to force Swaps to keep more of his weight on his own hind legs.
- According to Peerage of Racehorses (Richard Ulbrich), Searching had a habit of pawing the air with one foot as a sign of recognition.
- The Searching Stakes was a 12-furlong turf race for fillies and mares aged 3 and up at Pimlico.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: October 26, 2020