Personal Ensign showed her class early by winning the Grade I Frizette Stakes at age two, but was subsequently injured.

As a four-year-old, she won seven races, all but one of which was at the Grade I level, including a victory in the prestigious Whitney Handicap against male horses.

Personal Ensign was a bay mare who was bred in Kentucky by Ogden Phipps, for whom she raced as a homebred.

Their combined exploits in 1988 led Grecian Banner being named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, a feat Personal Ensign later also accomplished.

[3] Personal Ensign made her first start on September 28 in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park.

Her time of 1:224⁄5 for seven furlongs was three-fifths of a second faster than the same day's running of the Grade I Matron Stakes, won by Tappiano.

Although Personal Ensign was known for her late-running style, in this race she was pushed early to prevent the front-runner Collins from getting an easy lead.

"[6] Personal Ensign was being pointed towards the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, a race in which she would have been the favorite, but became lame after an apparently routine workout on October 26.

[7] Tests revealed that she had broken the pastern bone on her right hind leg, an injury that would have been career-ending and perhaps life-threatening just a few years earlier.

"[8] After recovering from surgery, Personal Ensign finally returned to the racetrack on September 6, 1987 in an allowance race at Belmont Park.

[9] Personal Ensign made her next start on October 18 in the Beldame Stakes run at Belmont Park over 1+1⁄4 miles, where she faced older horses for the first time, plus several of the leading three-year-old fillies in the country.

She was the second betting choice behind the entry of Coup de Fusil, who had won three straight Grade I races, and Clabber Girl.

[11] The decision possibly cost Personal Ensign the title of three-year-old champion filly: she finished second in the Eclipse Award voting to Sacahuista, who won the Distaff.

[13] Personal Ensign's next start was on June 11 at Belmont Park in the Hempstead Handicap, a race subsequently renamed in her owner's honor.

[4][15] She then shipped to Saratoga in upstate New York for the Whitney Handicap on August 6, facing male horses for the first time.

Over a sloppy track that favored front runners, Personal Ensign trailed the field by about four lengths for the first five furlongs, then started to make up ground around the turn.

"[16] It was her tenth win in a row, matching the streak of Ruffian before the latter filly broke down in her final start.

[17] Personal Ensign made her next start in the Maskette Stakes over a distance of one mile at Belmont on September 10, where her main rival was Winning Colors, who had won the 1988 Kentucky Derby.

"[18] On October 16, Personal Ensign entered the Beldame Stakes to defend her victory in the previous year's race.

[20] Personal Ensign made her final start in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs on November 5.

"[21] As they turned into the stretch though, Personal Ensign swung to the center of the track, switched leads and finally hit her best stride.

Edward Bowen, editor-in-chief of the Blood-Horse magazine, wrote, "It was a three-filly finish that left its witnesses uplifted and drained at the same time, a moment that leapt fully grown into history.

"[21] Personal Ensign was retired following the Breeders' Cup as the first undefeated champion in American racing in over 80 years.

[3] In September 2006, at the age of 22, Personal Ensign (after coming up barren from a mating with Forest Wildcat) was pensioned to the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm.

"[30] The pensioned Personal Ensign died on April 8, 2010, in her pasture at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, of natural causes.