War Emblem (February 20, 1999 – March 11, 2020) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and was later exported to Japan as a breeding stallion.

War Emblem was bred by Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons in Kentucky. His sire was Our Emblem, a stakes placed son of leading sire Mr. Prospector and the undefeated mare Personal Ensign. War Emblem's dam was Sweetest Lady by Lord At War. Often described as nearly black, he was registered as dark bay or brown colt with a white star. In the 2000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he failed to meet his reserve of $20,000 so raced under the colors of Russell Reineman, who had owned the colt's dam. Initially, he was trained by Frank Springer.

Described as narcissistic, War Emblem was a temperamental horse who did not like people nor other horses: Bob Baffert nicknamed the colt 'Hannibal Lecter' for his habit of biting. He had a history of bone chips in his knees and ankles, which discouraged several potential buyers. He liked to race at the front of the field, but sometimes compromised his own chances by acting up in the starting gate.

As a two-year-old, War Emblem won his first start, but then finished seventh when entered in the Manila Stakes. He rebounded with a win in an allowance race to finish 2001 with a record of two wins from three starts.

His three-year-old campaign started poorly, with a fifth place in the Lecomte Stakes and a sixth-place finish in the Risen Star, both at Fair Grounds Race Course. He returned to form with a 10+3⁄4 length win in an allowance race at Sportsman's Park Racetrack, then won the Illinois Derby by 6+1⁄4 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion. Prince Ahmed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia bought a ninety percent interest in War Emblem for a reported $1 million just three weeks before the Kentucky Derby.

Victor Espinoza was his jockey for the 2002 Kentucky Derby, never having seen the horse until the morning of the race. War Emblem, who went off at 21-to-1 odds, took the early lead and sent sensible early fractions, then kicked away from the field in the stretch. He won the race in a fast time of 2:01.13. It was the first Kentucky Derby win for new owner Salman and the third for new trainer Bob Baffert. War Emblem beat the likes of Medaglia d'Oro (winner of the Travers Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes, and Whitney Handicap, among others); Perfect Drift (winner of the Stephen Foster, the Indiana Derby, and the Washington Park Handicap twice, among others); and Harlan's Holiday (winner of the Florida Derby, the Pennsylvania Derby, and the Donn Handicap among others).

In the 2002 Preakness Stakes, War Emblem rated just behind the leaders who set a fast pace, went to the lead on the far turn and held off a late rally by Magic Weisner. With a Triple Crown at stake, the Belmont Stakes on June 8 attracted the biggest crowd in the track's history with 103,222 spectators. War Emblem stumbled and nearly fell to his knees coming out of the gate, then bumped into another horse, losing several lengths in the process. He then struggled with Espinoza who tried to rate the colt down the backstretch. War Emblem surged to the lead in the final turn before fading at the top of the stretch: The winner was 70-1 long-shot Sarava. It was the third time Baffert had lost the Belmont with a Triple Crown at stake: He had previously lost with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998. Baffert later said, "He was so one-dimensional and such an irritable horse as it was, as soon as he was behind horses, I had to sit there for 2½ minutes waiting for the race to be over."

War Emblem returned to the track on August 4 as the favorite in the Haskell Invitational Handicap and won easily by 3+1⁄2 lengths. Baffert said, "You forget how good this horse is. From now on we're just going to let him run the way he wants. If he were one of those wild horses in the herd, he'd be the top dog. Like 'The Black Stallion', you don't want to break that spirit." He became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Haskell.