Kayak II was an Argentine-bred

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who competed successfully in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He was sired by a famous Argentine Thoroughbred named Congreve

Congreve (horse)

Congreve was an Argentine Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most influential sires in South America. He was a bay stallion by Copyright his dam Per Noi by Perrier .-Racing record:...

 out of the dam Mosquita. After being seen by American Lindsay Howard during a polo

Polo

Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...

 trip to Argentina, Kayak was purchased for $7,000 along with another horse named Ligaroti. The two horses were shipped back to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 where Howard's father, businessman Charles S. Howard, owned a successful racing stable that included 1938 U.S. Horse of the Year

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year

The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....

 Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...

. Lin Howard and his partner in Binglin Stable, the singer Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....

, raced Ligaroti while Charles Howard would race Kayak. His original name was Kajak; Charles S. Howard however, renamed him Kayak II.

To avoid a conflict of names, the horse had to be registered in the U.S. as Kayak II. Trained by Horatio Luro

Horatio Luro

Horatio A. Luro was a thoroughbred horse racing trainer in the United States.Born in Argentina into a wealthy family that had been involved with horses for several generations, a suave young Horatio Luro grew up as something of a playboy and maintained this lifestyle after moving to the United...

, he won 14 races and finished in the money in 23 of his 26 starts in the U.S. Substituting for injured stablemate Seabiscuit, Kayak II won the 1939 Santa Anita Handicap

Santa Anita Handicap

The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...

 then finished second to Seabiscuit in the 1940 edition. In his other major 1939 race, Kayak II lost to Challedon

Challedon

Challedon was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm....

 in the 1939 Pimlico Special

Pimlico Special

The Pimlico Special is an American thoroughbred horse race held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. It is raced on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles . The race is currently open to horses age three and older and offers a purse of $250,000.The Pimlico Special was first run in...

 at Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...

 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kayak II was named the U.S. Champion Older Male Horse

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse

The title of American Champion Older Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up. Prior to 1971, this award was referred to as "Champion Handicap Male Horse", and was open to any horse, three years old and up...

 in 1939 in the earlier equivalent to today's Eclipse Award

Eclipse Award

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...

s.