Northern Dancer Herd

To continue the story of Natalma's daughters, we turn to Raise the Standard, a March 31, 1978 Windfields Canadian-bred mare who was by Hoist the Flag, a noted broodmare sire. Raise the Standard was unraced, but her 1982 daughter by Halo, Coup de Folie, according to the information I have, had 12 foals, 10 raced, 7 winners, of whom 5 were stakes winners.

The stakes winning offspring include Machiavellian, champion runner and sire, Coup de Genie, champion runner and stakes winning producer, Exit to Nowhere, group one SW, Hydro Calido, a group 11 SW and group 1 placed, and Ocean of Wisdom, a group 111 SW.

Coup de Genie, by noted sire and broodmare sire, Mr. Prospector, earned about $400,000 and was a champion 2YO. According to my information, she had 6 foals , 4 runners, 4 winners and 4 SWs. The stakes winners include Denebola, a champion 2YO in France, by Storm Cat, Sabre Mountain a grade 111 winner of about $530,000 by A P Indy. Then came SW Glia, a filly by A P Indy, and finally Loving Kindness, by Seattle Slew, a group 111 winner in France.

The strength of the family marches on. Moonlight's Cave, an unraced daughter of Nureyev from Coup de Genie has produced a February 3, 2001 colt by Nashwan named Bago. He has won about $2,700,000 and five group ones, including the Arc.

Returning to Raise the Standard, in 1987, she produced Bonita Francita, by the Windfields bred stallion, Devil's Bag. Her 1994 offspring, a bay colt named Jules, by the Mr. Prospector stallion Forty Niner, was a grade 111 winning, grade 11 placed runner who, before his early death sired Peace Rules who won 8 stakes from 2 to 4 and over $3,000,000. He won the grade one Haskell, the grade one Blue Grass and the grade one Suburban. He also ran second in the Travers and third in the Kentucky Derby.

On June 1, 1981 at Windfields Maryland, Natalma delivered Born A Lady, a filly by Tentam. She would win 4 races at three and about $57,000, including the Pearl Necklace Stakes. Her son Arrowtown won about $330,000 as a stakes winner, with grade 11 and grade 111 placings.

There were two other daughters of Natalma who "might have been". In 1965, Natalma foaled a brown filly by Nearctic. It appears she died as a yearling. In 1973 came twins by Nearctic, a colt and a filly who both died..

The story of Natalma's daughters is the less-often mentioned one in the unfolding legend of her son Northern Dancer. It feels fun and it feels right to salute it at this time.

Quite appropriately, most of the acclaim given to Natalma is for producing Northern Dancer, her first foal. But she had much more to offer, and that offering was her daughters. These are Arctic Dancer (Nearctic), Native Era (Victorian Era), Spring Adieu (Buckpasser), Raise the Standard (Hoist the Flag) and Born A Lady (Tentam).

We saw Arctic Dancer, dam of champion La Prevoyante, in the previous "Siblings" posting. In that I mentioned that her first foal, the Victoria Park stallion, Cerf Volant, had an excellent modern descendent. This turns out to be Randaroo, a grade two and three winning daughter of Gold Case, by Forty Niner, from the stakes winner, Validated, by Valid Appeal-Sail or Cerf, by Cerf Volant. Six of Randaroo's eight wins were in stakes. She was also grade one placed twice. She won about $670,000. Thus do isolated strands of quality show up on occasion.

Native Era, a Windfields Maryland foal of 1969 was unraced. Her daughter, Northern Sister, was Canadian graded stakes placed. She was granddam of Marathon, a graded stakes winner in Norway, Gray Not Bay and Barzana Dana, both stakes winners.. Native Era was the least accomplished of Natalma's daughters.

Things start to heat up with Spring Adieu, a Windfields Canada 1974 daughter of Buckpasser who also sired La Prevoyante in the family. She won three races and about $13,700. At first there were almost no signs of life, but then she became a grandmother. Her daughter Razyana, by His Majesty, raced three times in England with no wins. As of 2002, she had 12 foals, 9 runners, 8 winners and 5 stakes winners. Crosses with the Northern Dancer stallion, Danzig, proved magical.

The first of that was also her first foal, group one winning champion, Danehill. You gotta watch those first foals. He was lost in a freak paddock accident at a relatively young age, but to date leads the world in number of stakes winners, with over 300. Only the Northern Dancer stallion, Sadler's Wells, is anywhere near him in that department. Danehill is also becoming a notable sire of sires, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

Other Danzig offspring from Razyana include the gr 11 winning colt, Eagle Eyed, the filly Harpia, a graded stakes winner, Shibboleth, a graded sw colt, graded stakes placed Anziyan, and Quick to Please, a stks-placed winner. Razyana's daughter, Euphonic, was a stakes winner by the Northern Dancer stallion, The Minstrel.

Spring Adieu has four other stakes winner from other daughters, as well as five stakes placed runners. So far none of these are important, but I emphasize "so far".

In my next posting I will continue the story of Natalma's daughters. An argument can be made that the next in line, Raise the Standard, is at least as important as Razyana. That deserves a bit of a "wow", and an investigation.

It is often a good thing that we do not know in advance as children what life will challenge us with as adults. From the age of twenty I have lived with a severe mental illness. The original diagnosis was schizophrenia; this turned out to be wrong. Only 23 years later was a correct diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder applied. There have been many hospitalizations and many lost years in depression.

This may seem the setting for a sad tale indeed, but God has had other plans. I had and have great support from family, friends in community and eventually some excellent doctors. But there is a crucial way that this website about Northern Dancer and friends reflects an overwhelming abundance of blessing in my life.

I was lucky enough to be born in 1950 at the start of the Windfields Farm glory years. God gave me a passion for thoroughbreds. I started clipping the sports pages for scrapbook material at the age of ten and I still have those scrapbooks. The most important ones cover Northern Dancer's career. He made his first career start 2 days before my thirteenth birthday.

As an adult, my history was often black, but the Dancer through his offspring and then their offspring was always sending me celebratory racing results from around the world to lift me up. Indeed the saga of Windfields Farm which I try to describe on this website demonstrates to me an overflowing abundance of blessings,

God's gift to me of May 27, 1961, Northern Dancer's real birthday, remains a staggering inspiration, and a total affirmation and proof of Love beyond credit. That is why, today, May 27, 2006, there sits on the marble grave of Northern Dancer at the farm in Oshawa, a bouquet in a vase of a dozen red Kentucky Derby roses as my way to thank Northern Dancer and God for my amazing life.

It has been a full mystery to me why I have been consumed by horse racing from my earliest days, but, you know, these animals have been my lucky stars. Northern Dancer has been the biggest. Happy 45th!

Talk about missing the big story in all the details! In previous postings, I have talked of Dancing Count, the Taylor-bred Northern Dancer stallion who won his only start here, and Buena Notte, the so-called ‘obscure' Taylor-bred Victoria Park broodmare who once sold for $2000 there.

Why didn't I bring the two together? Because when someone obviously did, the resulting foal was the unraced mare, Count On Bonnie, a foal of 1981, and eventual dam, to the cover of the Mr. Prospector sire, Woodman, of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, Hansel.

Now Big Blunder was the name of a flashy chestnut, stakes winning son of Nearctic from way back when, but the name fits the writer here at the moment. In the end, better late than never, and thus the Italian Taylor broodmare, Midinette 11, dam of Buena Notte, did live up to her classy pedigree after all. Let's see what other explosions await, as time goes by on this website.

Menetrier was the third of our important Windfields Farm stallions. He was a brown horse foaled in 1944, a son of Fair Copy from La Melodie, by Gold Bridge. As the story goes, it is said he was accompanied to the breeding shed by a man with a gun. It seems Menetrier gave signs of going berserk on occasion.

Judging the lasting impact of Menetrier on the breed involves taking a look at the story of the Windfields broodmare, Iribelle. She was purchased by Taylor because she was a sibling of the E.P. Taylor runner, Mona Belle. This gallant runner took on the legendary Canadian racehorse, Bunty Lawless, on the race track, but she tragically broke down and was lost. Iribelle became a replacement. She would become famous through her unraced daughter, Victoriana, a daughter of the Bunty Lawless stallion, Windfields.

Victoriana's first son, Bull Vic, by Bull Page, dominated his 2YO season, winning or placing in 6 of Ontario's most important stakes for youngsters. Her best racehorse offspring, Victoria Park, a son of Chop Chop, has been discussed in previous postings. He is found in Cigar's pedigree.

Now we come to the Menetrier connection; he sired Victoriana's beautiful, ultra-feminine daughter, Victoria Regina. At the track she held her own with colts, running a fast-closing fourth in the Queen's Plate. Her first foal, Page Royal, another son of Bull Page, was a minor winner. Then came the champions by Northern Dancer, Viceregal, triumphant on the racetrack, and Vice Regent, triumphant in the breeding barn. Viceregal does show up on occasion in modern pedigrees, but his younger brother really did it for us by siring Deputy Minister, twice leading sire in North America. Deputy Minister was inbred to Bunty Lawless.

A number of Deputy Minister's sons are quite useful at stud but, as well, his daughters are shining. Two of their offspring, Bob and John, and Jazil ran first and second in this spring's Wood Memorial, grade one in New York. Vice Regent himself is a solid broodmare sire; probably his best performance in that department is through his daughter, Victorious Lil, dam of Belmont winner Victory Gallop.

Victoria Regina, carrying a full sibling to Viceregal and Vice Regent, was tragically lost in a fire in a new barn she had just moved into at Windfields Maryland. Another lost in the same fire, Canadian Oaks winner All We Have, had been sent to that farm, I believe, to be bred to Northern Dancer.

Menetrier as a racehorse carried up to 143 lbs and was unplaced only three times in 29 starts over three years, winning thirteen races in France, England and Italy. In France he sired Blue Choir, who would win stakes in America. He sired the Windfields runner, Orchestra, who would become a Taylor broodmare. From her family would come the Northern Dancer stakes winner, Giboulee, who ran seventh in Seattle Slew's Derby. Menetrier's daughter, Virgule, won the French 1000 Guineas.

Of interest among Canadian offspring of Menetrier are Menedict and Brockton Boy. The filly Menedict was a Canadian Oaks winner for her blue hen dam, Queen's Statute, another Taylor foundation mare. Through her Northern Dancer daughter, Royal Statute, Queen's Statute would ultimately give us Lammtarra, a fine English Derby/Arc winner. Menedict also can be noted as the dam of the first Northern Dancer offspring foaled in Canada, that being the very ordinary filly, No One Listens.

Menetrier's son, Brockton Boy, was a stakes winner, but is best known as the yearling selected by some Canadian purchasers in preference to the smaller, pony-like Northern Dancer at Windfields Farm's 1962 yearling sales. He was taken for the same price as Northern Dancer could have been, $25,000. Surely a critical moment in the history of international racing. Some gods somewhere held their breath.

As the racing world hopes not to lose Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, I am struck by a similarity between his pedigree and that of Preakness winner, Bernardini. Each has a daughter of Windfields-bred stallion, Nearctic, in his background, as well as an offspring by Nearctic's Canadian-bred son, Northern Dancer.

Looking at Barbaro, he is by Dynaformer out of La Ville Rouge, by Carson City out of La Reine Rouge, by King's Bishop-Silver Betsy, by Nearctic. Silver Betsy was a Maryland-bred allowance winner of seven races from three to five, with earnings of about $50,000. She was out of Silver Abbey, by Djeddah out of Goldarette, by Burg al Arab out of Gold Crest, by King Cole from War Plumage. Silver Betsy was from Nearctic's 1971 crop of 21 foals.

Interestingly enough, another filly from that same crop, Quiet Charm, would give us Quiet American, broodmare sire of Bernardini. Quiet American was by Fappiano from Demure, by Dr. Fager-Quiet Charm, by Nearctic-Cequillo, by Princequillo out of Boldness, by Mahmoud from Hostility, by Man O'War. Quiet Charm was a February 25, Florida-bred brown mare whose only placing from six starts was a deadheat win for earnings of $1400.

Barbaro trails back to Northern Dancer through his son, Nijinsky 11, sire of Summertime Promise, found in Carson City's family as described in an earlier posting. Bernardini is by A.P. Indy from Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American from Oil Fable, by Spectacular Bid out of Northern Fable, a foal of 1978 and a stakes winner by Northern Dancer from Fairway Fable.

A.P. Indy is from the Bold Ruler sire line and is by far its greatest hope and performing sire. Originally, the Bold Ruler/Northern Dancer cross was a big disappointment, but there was stakes placed Sovereign Dancer, a stallion nice to mention in the context of the Preakness in that he sired two of that classic race's winners, Gate Dancer and Louis Quatorze.

A final note on the 1971 Nearctic crop. Its star was Nonoalco, a flashy son of Seximee, by Hasty Road. He raced in Europe with seven wins from ten starts. The highlights were the 2000 Guineas in England, and the Prix Jacques le Marois in France. He ran in the English Derby, but swallowed his tongue and lost all chance.

Chop Chop is the second of the patriarchs. Foaled in 1940, he was a dark bay son of Flares from the Buchan mare, Sceptical. He was only once unplaced in eleven starts, and won four, including a win in record time in New York defeating Princequillo. He was the leading sire in Canada in 1953, 1954, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963.

There are four of his offspring about whom I wish to comment. They are Victoria Park, Ciboulette, Canadiana and Shining Sun.

Victoria Park, Queens Plate winner, won the New York 2YO stakes, the Remsen, and set a track record in the Leonard Richards Stakes in the US at three. He battled Venetian Way and Bally Ache in the 1960 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and acquitted himself well. Only four Taylor-breds ever ran in the American Triple Crown. They were Northern Dancer, Victoria Park, third in the Derby and second in the Preakness, Cool Reception, second in the Belmont and Giboulee, a son of Northern Dancer from the Victoria Park mare, Victory Chant, who was unplaced in Seattle Slew's Derby.

As long as The Minstrel shows up in successful pedigrees, the genes of Victoria Park will be preserved, for Victoria Park is his broodmare sire. The mare is Fleur, a daughter of Flaming Page, dam of Nijinsky 11. This champion and The Minstrel are three-quarter siblings.

Ciboulette was a daughter of Chop Chop and the Windfields (the sire) daughter Windy Answer. Ciboulette was the dam of champion Fanfreluche, surely a candidate for best running and producing daughter of Northern Dancer. Windy Answer was dam of the magnificent looking Cool Reception, runaway 2YO king in Canada for his year, and a courageous second on three legs in Damascus's Belmont.

Canadiana, a bay filly by Chop Chop from Iribelle, granddam of Victoria Park, and great granddam of Vice Regent and Viceregal, was one of the first Taylor-breds to enjoy noteworthy success in the USA. She won the Test Stakes and the Vagrancy Hdcp among her twenty wins. Her foal by Windfields, All Canadian, was a stakes winner in Ontario, but Canadiana was all in all a disappointment as a broodmare. Her daughter, Maid of Canada, by Northern Dancer, won a race, but that was about it. Her son, Champlain, by Nearctic, was stakes-placed but sired only a few foals.

One of Champlain's foals, the filly Champ de Soleil, recently emerged in the pedigree of a grade one winner. Her dam, Solarism, was a daughter of Menetrier from Solar Display, the foundation mare we have seen elsewhere. Champ de Soleil, a 1968 Taylor-bred mare, as a member of the Windfields broodmare band, gave us in 1980 the mare, Every Effort, by Full Out, a son of Never Bend. Every Effort, in 1990, gave us Valiant Jewel, a daughter of Buckley Boy, by Alydar. The point of this exercise is Friendly Michelle, a daughter of Artax from Valiant Jewel.

Friendly Michelle, a May 11, 2001 foal, won the 2004 grade one Prioress and was third in two other grade one races. Thus did Champlain and Canadiana briefly come to life.

Finally, we salute Shining Sun, a daughter of Chop Chop from Solar Display, mentioned here and elsewhere. She was dam of South Ocean, dam of Storm Bird and all that follows from his sons, Storm Cat and Summer Squall. Through Storm Cat, especially, it seems Chop Chop will surface in excellent thoroughbreds for a very long time. Bull Page, Chop Chop and, for next time, Menetrier, the pattern of substantial Windfields Farm influence reveals itself.

Bull Page, Chop Chop and Menetrier. The three reigning monarchs of the fifties and sixties of the Windfields stallion roster. This posting will concentrate on Bull Page.

Foaled in 1947, Bull Page was a dark bay son of the great Bull Lea out of Our Page, by Blue Larkspur. He was a Canadian Horse of the year in 1951. A winner of nine races at 3 and 4, he carried 128 lb in one of those victories while equaling a track record. He placed in another stakes while carrying top weight of 134 lb. Bull Page's dam, Our Page, won the important Spinaway Stakes at two, and was ultimately a Broodmare of the Year.

Bull Page was Canada's leading sire in 1958. His two most important offspring in the long term were Canadian Triple Crown winner, New Providence, and Canadian Oaks and Queens Plate winner, Flaming Page. Flaming Page ran well against a tough North American filly crop which included the great Cicada.

New Providence sired small crops of foals, but hit the jackpot with Canadian Oaks winner, South Ocean. This filly was out of Shining Sun, by Chop Chop-Solar Display, by Sun Again-Dark Display, by Display. Dark Display was also the dam of Battlefield, a stakes winner of 22 races with earnings of about half a million, a huge sum for his time. He won the Travers and was second in the Belmont.

Owned by Charles Taylor, son of E.P. Taylor, South Ocean would become, to the cover of Northern Dancer, the dam of million dollar yearling and champion 2YO, Storm Bird. Think Storm Cat, think Summer Squall, think Charismatic, Tabasco Cat, Cat Thief, Thunder Gulch, Point Given and Dear Birdie, Broodmare of the Year with Birdstone and Bird Town. Think 63 SWs from roughly 680 foals. An explosion of genetic power.

Now turn to Flaming Page, dam of the English Horse of the Century, Nijinsky 11, greatest son of Northern Dancer, in my opinion. I remember seeing him running in his paddock as a yearling at the then division of Windfields Farm in Willowdale. Noble and majestic even then, I was thrilled to see him, as I had loved following his dam's career when I was but 12 years old.

Flaming Page's first foal was Fleur, a daughter of the Chop Chop stallion, Victoria Park. She was tall, with a star and two white hinds. She was a disappointment on the racetrack, given her pedigree, but to my mind was saving herself for the breeding shed. She managed a show in the important Summer Stakes on turf at two.

Fleur's most important foal was Northern Dancer's son, The Minstrel. He broke all stereotypes concerning his size, his shape, his chestnut colouring with tons of white markings while running a hole in the wind of determination in his 3YO year as champion in England and Ireland. His highest hope for a legacy was left failed by the infertility of Cigar, his grandson, but maybe he will leave a mark through his daughters. One of these has produced Grey Swallow, an Irish Derby winner, who was impressive in winning a stakes in California over the 2006 Kentucky Derby weekend.

Flaming Page's last foal to live was a full brother to Nijinsky 11 named Minsky. He was a blaze-faced chestnut who ran fourth in the 2000 Guineas of his year and who later won a minor stakes in Canada. He was sent for stud duties to Japan where he had success but unfortunately died young.

Flaming Page herself was internally damaged beyond further conceptions during a subsequent foaling event which, it has been said, she was lucky to survive. She lived out her days as a ‘Dowager Queen' in Maryland at Windfields, quite often accompanied by her regal daughter, Fleur.

Bull Page was a well-bred horse for his time, and reflected the E.P. Taylor determination of trying to breed the best to the best. The story of Bull Page is one of his successes. The other stallions mentioned here, Chop Chop and Menetrier, will demonstrate this same success.

A very decent 2006 3YO who ran unplaced in the Kentucky Derby was Cause to Believe. He is a gr/ro son of Maria's Mon from the Storm Cat mare, Imaginary Cat, who is out of Cuddles, by Mr. Prospector out of Stellarette, by Tentam-Square Angel, by Quadrangle-Nangela. Cause to Believe has won the California Derby and the grade 111 El Camino Real Derby.

The focus of this posting is on Nangela, an E.P. Taylor-bred daughter of Nearctic and a mare called Angela's Niece. Angela's Niece was a yearling purchase of Taylor's, foaled in the same year as Northern Dancer. She won two races in allowance company as a 2YO, and was then retired. She was a daughter of the excellent Tim Tam and Great Niece. Great Niece traces back to Sister Sarah, dam of Lady Angela, dam of Nearctic. So there was some inbreeding going on when Angela's Niece was bred to Nearctic in 1964.

Great Niece herself would be bred to Nearctic in 1966, producing a chestnut filly named Nearctica. She placed in six starts at two and three in England.. As a broodmare, she gave us Neatrice, a chestnut filly by the obscure stallion Banaldo. Neatrice would win the important Canadian stakes race for fillies and mares, the Nettie on turf in 1978. She was a stakes horse in France as well.

Nangela was Angela's Niece's first foal, a bay filly who came into the world on April 19^th, 1965. She would become another "nobody wants me" story for E. P. Taylor as she went unsold at his sale. She had a lovely face, decorated with a star-stripe and a snip. She had one lwh. Nangela was a good 2YO on the Ontario circuit; she beat the colts in the Carleton Stakes, and placed in the Natalma and Mazarine Stakes. She started 11 times, with 4 wins, 3 seconds and a third. Her 3YO season was a disaster, with 8 starts and no placings.

Off to the breeding shed she went, and was bred to Belmont Stakes winner Quadrangle. Her first foal, an April 4^th bay filly, would be sold for $20,000 and be named Square Angel. Square Angel would upset La Prevoyante in the Canadian Oaks. Square Angel was sold back to Windfields and would become a sensational broodmare. Her record would become, 7 foals, 6 runners, 6 winners, 4 stakes winners. Her daughter Kamar, by Key to the Mint, would produce 9 foals, 8 runners, 7 winners, 4 stakes winners. Kamar's daughter, Seaside Attraction, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, would give us 5 foals, 5 runners, 5 winners, 4 stakes winners. Kamar would become a Broodmare of the Year in Kentucky.

Here's a list of the grade one and group one winners coming from this family: Golden Attraction, by Mr. Prospector, Cape Town, by Search for Gold, Gorgeous, by Slew O'Gold, Fantastic Light, by Rahy, Love Smitten, by Key to the Mint, Swain, by Nashwan, Cuddles, by Mr. Prospector, and Tap the Music, by Pleasant Tap. There are many other fine racehorses in this family. Cape Town has sired Kentucky Oaks winner, Bird Town, from a mare by Taylor-bred Storm Bird. This is also the family of Nuryette, by the Dancer stallion Nureyev, who gave us Northern Afleet, sire of 2005 Triple Crown standout, Afleet Alex.

Would any of this had happened if someone at the Taylor sale long ago had taken a chance on a first foal out of a daughter of Kentucky Derby victor, Tim Tam, by the sire of a Kentucky Derby winner in his first crop, Nearctic. E.P. Taylor kept the faith in Nangela after her disgraceful 3YO season, and what a story followed and follows from that. What a beautiful sounding name, Nangela. Like bells ringing, like the Angelus, like angels! Cause to Believe indeed.

Racing over the weekend of April 22, 2006, resulted in a lot of fun for fans of Windfields Farm breeding. The biggest news was the upset of last year's sprint champion, Lost in the Fog, a Northern Dancer-line runner, in his 2006 debut by the unheralded Carthage. The race was the Oakland Tribune Golden Gate Fields Sprint Stake.

Carthage is inbred to Northern Dancer through Majesty's Crown, the dam of Smoke Glacken, sire of Carthage. The mare is a daughter of the Northern Dancer stallion, Magesterial. He was a Taylor-bred stakes winner. Carthage's granddam is Regal Ruth, a daughter of the gorgeous Taylor-bred champion son of the Dancer, Viceregal.

Magesterial was a February 7^th foal, born at Windfields Farm Maryland. His dam was Courting Days, a Taylor yearling purchase of 1971. She won in Ireland. She was a daughter of American champion Bold Lad, out of Admiring, by Hail to Reason-Searching, truly royal breeding. Magesterial was purchased by Robert Sangster for $250,000 as a yearling. Admiring's biggest contribution to the breed was her Graustark daughter, Glowing Tribute. The latter gave us, among others, the Northern Dancer siblings, Wild Applause, a graded stakes winning and grade one producer and Hero's Honor, a graded grass stakes winner found in the pedigree of Smarty Jones.

Viceregal was Northern Dancer's first stakes winner on his way to Canadian Horse of the Year honors in 1968. He won eight straight on turf and dirt in an undefeated season. A dazzling golden chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, he never lived up to the expectations for him as a sire. His family came to the rescue in the breeding shed in his younger full brother, Vice Regent. A modest allowance winner who once reared up and fell into a ditch, Vice Regent was one of many Northern Dancer sons and grandsons to sire over 100 stakes winners. When one looks at the list of stallions who have accomplished this feat, it is immediately obvious that no other sire line comes close to the Dancer's performance. Vice Regent's best running and siring son is Deputy Minister, himself a good sire of sires, and an emerging broodmare sire.

The $100,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico, a prep for the Preakness, was won by Ah Day, by Malibu Moon-Endette, by Thirty Eight Paces. Malibu Moon has Taylor-bred Nijinsky ll's son Green Dancer in his family. Thirty Eight Paces won about $480,000, and was by Nodouble out of stakes winning Thirty Paces. This mare is a daughter of Windfields-bred Northern Dancer stallion, Dancing Count. Endette was a non-winner over two seasons, but she was a full sister to Thirty Eight Go Go, a daughter of Thirty Eight Paces. Thirty Eight Go Go won over $870,000 with eight stakes wins, with grade one shows in the Delaware and the Ladies.

Dancing Count, a Windfields-bred foal of 1968 did not sell at $50,000. He won his only start. His dam, Snow Court, by King's Bench, was an English SW, and dam of many non-winners. Her best runner was Cold Storage, a son of Never Say Die, who ran third in the group one St. Leger. Her winning daughter, Snowmount, gave us Taylor-bred Christy's Mount, a champion older mare in Canada and a daughter of Vice Regent. Christy's Mount was a $4800 purchase; she won and placed in many stakes on grass and on dirt. She helped establish Vice Regent's credibility, her low price reflecting a lack thereof.

The grade two Bed of Roses Breeders Cup Handicap at Aqueduct saw Magnolia Jackson upset 2005 3YO filly champion, Smuggler, in her 2006 debut. Magnolia Jackson's sire, Cape Canaveral, a Mr. Prospector stallion, emerged from one of Windfields' best foundation mare families. This is the group led by Kamar, a Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, and dam of Seaside Attraction, a daughter of Seattle Slew who upset the mighty Go for Wand in the Kentucky Oaks. Seaside Attraction is the dam of Cape Canaveral. This is the Windfields-bred Square Angel/Nangela story which we will look at at another time.

On this same April 22, 2006 afternoon, the $250,000 grade three National Jockey Club Handicap at Hawthorne went to Three Hour Nap. He is a four year old bay son of Afternoon Deelites from Pilgrim's Treasure, by Pilgrim. Afternoon Deelites' placed dam, Intimate Girl is a daughter of royally-bred Medaille d'Or, a stakes winning son of Secretariat from Fanfreluche. Here comes the Windfields breeding, some of the best, as Fanfreluche comes from Northern Dancer-Ciboulette, by Chop Chop-Windy Answer, by Windfields-Reply.

Another flourishing Windfields line comes from Pilgrim. By Northern Dancer-Fleur, by Victoria Park-Flaming Page, dam of Nijinsky ll, Pilgrim is a full brother to Far North, a SW and productive sire, and to that flashy, determined English and Irish star, The Minstrel. The Minstrel's gutsy, sustained drive to capture the English Derby in 1977 is unforgettable. His grandson, Cigar, became an American legend, but was a complete fertility failure. Pity for The Minstrel line. Three Hour Nap's dam, Pilgrim's Treasure, was a hardy sort, racing five years, with 45 starts, 10 wins and about $290,000. Three Hour Nap has been lightly raced, winning minor stakes at 2, 3 and 4, with almost $370,000 earned so far.

The harvest was bountiful on April 22 for the ongoing Windfields saga.