Purchased at the 2019 Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, First Captain is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Bobby Flay, and Woodford Racing and trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. He was bred in Kentucky by celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

First Captain went two for two before capturing the 2021 Dwyer Stakes (G3). At four, he captured the Pimlico Special (G3).