Joe Daniels was sired by the imported stallion Australian and out of the mare Dolly Carter.
Joe Daniels was foaled in 1869 and was a chestnut stallion, bred by A. J. Alexander of Woodburn Stud in Kentucky.
[4][5] Joe Daniels won the sixth running of the Belmont Stakes in 1872 at Jerome Park Racetrack, carrying 110 pounds (50 kilograms), in 2 minutes 56.24 seconds, to win $4,500 (equivalent to $118,000 in 2024).
[4][6] The race was run on June 1 over a distance of 1+5⁄8 miles (i.e. 13 furlongs (2,600 meters)) on a fast track.
[9] In the Kenner Stakes that year at Saratoga, New York, also over two miles for three-year-olds, Joe Daniels again carried 110 pounds (50 kg) to victory, in 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
[4][11] During the later part of Joe Daniels' three-year-old year, he was sold to G. A. Johnson, who sent him west to California to race against Thad Stevens.
Two other horses raced with Thad Stevens and Joe Daniels: True Blue and Mamie Hall.
[12] On Christmas Day, 1873, Joe Daniels beat Nell Flaherty in a match race held in San Francisco at a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (2,400 m), winning in a time of 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
[4][15] During his breeding career, Joe Daniels sired two stakes-winning horses: Hidalgo and Hoodlum.