The Queen of Queens was royally bred. Foaled in 1960, the dark bay filly was a daughter of Kentucky Derby winning Horse of the Year Swaps, who was a grandson of Epsom Derby winner Hyperion, and the outstanding broodmare Searching, a daughter of War Admiral who had won numerous stakes races, including back to back runnings of both the Diana and Correction Handicaps. Searching also produced the good filly Priceless Gem, who beat the mighty Buckpasser in the 1965 Futurity. Affectionately's third dam was Colonel Bradley's great broodmare La Troienne, dam of numerous stakes winners as well as the champions Bimelech and Black Helen.

Affectionately was foaled on April 26, 1960, outside of Lexington, Kentucky. The gentlemen responsible for breeding the filly were Hirsch Jacobs and Isador Bieber, whose partnership was known as Bieber-Jacobs Stable. Jacobs was most famous for owning and training the great Stymie. His numerous stakes winners included Affectionately's dam Searching, as well as Hail to Reason, who was on his way to becoming Champion Two Year Old Colt the year Affectionately was born, with wins in the Hopeful Stakes, the Saratoga Special, the Sanford Memorial, and the Sapling Stakes.

Trained by Hirsch Jacobs, Affectionately carried the silks of his wife, Mrs. Edith D. Jacobs. She was put the test very early, making her first start in January of her two year old year. She won the three furlong race, and then reeled off eight more victories. She took Monmouth Park's Sorority Stakes, the Spinaway Stakes, and the Polly Drummond Stakes. Jacobs declared her the best horse he had ever trained.

Affectionately was nine for ten when she met the unbeaten Smart Deb in the Matron Stakes. She finished third. She was beaten twice more, but was still awarded the divisional championship for two year old fillies, an honor she shared with Smart Deb.

At three, Affectionately won 4 races, including her first Interborough Handicap, and earned $33,592. As a four year old, her wins included a second Interborough Handicap, the Vosburgh Handicap, and the Correction Handicap. She won eight races, five of them stakes races, and earned $108,994.

As a five year old, Affectionately blossomed into a truly great racehorse. In the Vagrancy Handicap, Affectionately carried 137 pounds to victory, giving at least seventeen pounds to the rest of the field. In the Toboggan, she went six furlongs in 1:09 2/5, conquering Chieftain and becoming the first mare to win the race since 1910.

Affectionately became a television star when she won the mile and one eighth Top Flight Handicap by eight lengths. Third in that race was the good mare Old Hat, who shared divisional honors with Tosmah the year before. She also won the Distaff, Correction, and Liberty Bell Handicaps.

Tommy Trotter, the New York racing secretary, called the Vagrancy the high point of the 1965 racing season, and Affectionately was voted Champion Sprinter. She also shared the title of Champion Handicap Mare with Old Hat.

With eighteen stakes wins and $546,659 in earnings, Affectionately retired as one of only two mares to break the half million dollar mark.

Affectionately's first foal was Personality, who shared Horse of the Year honors with Fort Marcy in 1970. She produced three other foals, but only one raced. In 1989, Affectionately was voted into the Hall of Fame, an honor her dam received the previous year. Her half sister Priceless Gem, in the meantime, became the dam of the great racemare Allez France, winner of the 1974 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

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