Northern Dancer Herd

The headline read: "Despite Grand Garcon, Northern Dancer Futurity Choice". The purse was $20,000 added, the Coronation distance a mile and one eighth. Northern Dancer was listed as the "solid choice". Colts carried 122 lbs, fillies 119.

A journalist wrote: "Northern Dancer, exhibiting daily improvement, will be standout favorite to bag first money". Mention was made of the weight differential in the Cup and Saucer between the Dancer and Grand Garcon. Horatio Luro, Northern Dancer's trainer, spoke, "This time they are even and we will know for sure which one is better".

The journalist: "Consensus, though, is that Northern Dancer is an exceptional youngster, along the line of Victoria Park." "He has developed nicely," Luro said. "He went a mile and 70 in 1:42 and I never moved on him", testified jockey Ron Turcotte, "I can't imagine anything beating him."

In a field of 15, Northern Dancer was six and one quarter lengths better then second place Jammed Lively. Pierlou was third. "I had trouble holding him back in the early stages', said Turcotte. "He's a little guy but he's strong and he pulled the saddle forward. He won going away."

"He's a grand little model', said Sir Gordon Richards, former British riding great who is a weekend guest here. "Except for the color, he's a replica of Larkspur which won the Epsom Derby last year".

Northern Dancer was fourth at the half, fourth at the three quarters, was one and one half in front at the mile before pulling away. He was even money. Grand Garcon was fifth, beaten 14 lengths. Northern Flight, who had battled Northern Dancer so impressively in the prep, pressed the early pace, then faded to an exhausted last place. The final time was 1:51 and the chart said Northern Dancer won easily. It was the most impressive performance in his young career and as a very young two year old.

The first race on the card at Woodbine on the day that Northern Dancer made his next start after his narrow loss in the Cup and Saucer was marred by a spectacular four horse spill that left one horse dead, four jockeys injured and another horse requiring 30 stitches.

The crowd was thus somewhat subdued by the time the fifth race came around. The Bloordale purse, a mile and seventy yard contest for Canadian foaled two year olds featured Northern Dancer bet down to 45 cents on the dollar. He carried topweight of 122 lbs, giving at least 5 lbs to every other starter. He was ridden by Ron Turcotte.

His main rival turned out to be another son of Nearctic, Northern Flight, from the stable of Conn Smythe, a major Canadian owner/breeder of the time. Northern Flight was out of the important broodmare, Broomflight, who would be found in the pedigree of Deputy Minister, leading runner and sire.

Going to the lead right away, at one point Northern Flight was eight lengths ahead of Northern Dancer, who was rating off the lead instead of his usual "lead all the way, fight off all comers strategy". At the top of the stretch, Northern Dancer caught up and went into a duel and a drive. At the finish, Northern Dancer prevailed by a length, running the distance in 1:42, just one second off the track record. Northern Flight, in second place, finished twenty five and one half lengths ahead of Fast Answer, who ran third.

It was the race of Northern Flight's life; he would go on to be stakes-placed at two and at three, but would die at three. For Northern Dancer the race would serve as a fine tuneup for Canada's most important 2YO race, the Coronation Futurity. He had also, in this race, learned how to preserve his energy and power.

Continuing the saga of Northern Dancer at two in 1963, and just before the Cup and Saucer, the top two year old turf race in Ontario, my scrapbook featured an interview with the actor, Don Ameche, where he predicted great things for E.P. Taylor and for first crop running sire, Nearctic: "no matter what he (Taylor) has accomplished in this field, it has to be overwhelmed by what is yet to come. When I was up in Canada recently, I saw Nearctic. Now there's a sire for my money. He has to be great".

Windfields decided not to run Northern Dancer after his Summer Stakes win before the Cup and Saucer. Before the race, one journalist picked Brockton Boy, a Windfields bred, to be favourite, with second choice being the Taylor entry of Windlesham, Avec Vous, both fillies, and Northern Dancer. "Northern Dancer can't be overlooked. His last work over the grass was a smasher and he is definitely one of the horses to beat". Grand Garcon, another Taylor bred, was not mentioned, "but they have to go around the racetrack, and anything can happen". Grand Garcon, which means "Big Boy" in French, would be the eventual winner.

Northern Dancer was ridden by Paul Bohenko and, carrying 124 lbs, would give away at least five pounds to every other starter, giving eleven to Grand Garcon.. That's a lot of weight for a little horse to give away in just his fourth start.

One headline after the race was: "In Cup and Saucer upset win, Grand Garcon displays staying power". Interestingly enough, Grand Garcon's rider was named Dick Armstrong, some distant relation, no doubt of this writer. His odds were 45 to 1. He had cost $10,000 at Taylor's sale. Northern Dancer finished three parts of a length behind in second. Jammed Lively was third. "Grand Garcon nabbed Northern Dancer at the eighth pole and had no trouble maintaining his edge to the wire". His trainer, Wolf von Richthofen, said he was the best colt he had ever trained.

Northern Dancer, favoured at 8-5, raced into the lead at the start of the one mile and one sixteenth race with the colt, Winkie with him. The two ran head and head until the last turn where Winkie wilted. No journalist mentioned the huge weight differential between Grand Garcon and the Dancer, but Northern Dancer needs no excuses in his, as usual, game, battling performance. The Cup and Saucer would be his last loss at two.

Northern Dancer's third start was at Fort Erie in the $10,000 Summer Stakes, at a mile on turf, around two turns. A local newspaper, while picking Northern Dancer to win, described him as the choice "but in a wide open affair". Unbeaten Pierlou, another son of Nearctic, and Brockton Boy were both in there. The race was open to American-breds, but none showed up, so the race became a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Cup and Saucer, and the Coronation Stakes, Canada's top two races for two year olds. Northern Dancer was coupled with two fillies, Muskoka, a daughter of Nearctic, and Windlesham.

Northern Dancer led all the way over a very tiring, yielding course. His final time for the mile was 1:43 and two fifths. Slithering Sam, making a very strong stretch run, cut the Dancer's lead to one and one quarter lengths at the wire, but that was as close as he got. Windfield's Windlesham nosed out Brockton Boy for third.. The actual race favourite, Pierlou, faded to sixth, his first loss. Journalistic reaction included describing Northern Dancer as "a little fellow making only the third start of his career ... in the longest and richest race thus far in the season for the two year old babies". His loss to Ramblin Road was described as to "probably the best juvenile in Canada". Northern Dancer's jockey, Paul Bohenko, called him "a game little guy", weighing all of 950 pounds.

The colts in the race carried 115, the fillies 112 lbs. Another writer of the time described Northern Dancer as going to the front at the start, fighting off the challenge of Brockton Boy for three quarters of the mile race, and then holding Slithering Sam and Windlesham safe in the stretch. Northern Dancer and Brockton Boy raced head and head until Bohenko was ready to say goodbye. Brockton Boy's rider, Harlon Dalton, said his colt couldn't handle the turf, was bobbling and would have won if the turf had been firm.

To return to 2006 from 1963, I look at the Stakes Winners section of the June 24^th issue of the Blood Horse where they list reported SW by Sire. I see twenty names. The following, Belong to Me, Deputy Minister, Dixie Union, Giant's Causeway, Silver Deputy, Touch Gold (twice) and War Chant are all Northern Dancer paternal sire line stallions. Of the remainder, Arch, Holzmeister, Indian Charlie, Loup Solitaire, Monarchos, Point Given and Tour d'Or have Northern Dancer in their pedigrees somewhere. Fifteen strikes, counting Touch Gold twice, out of twenty. The dance goes on, the beat goes on.

The following notes are taken from one of my childhood scrapbooks from the early sixties. In mid-July, 1963, a very swift American-bred colt named Ramblin Road won the five and one half furlong $7500 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine, finishing in 1:04 and two fifths, which equaled the track record. Brockton Boy was second, beaten 5 lengths after all kinds of trouble. This colt had been taken, for $25,000, at the same Windfields yearling sale where Northern Dancer was left behind for the same price. The Victoria was Brockton Boy's first defeat in 5 starts. Ramblin Road, a $5000 purchase, and Brockton Boy were slated to meet again at Fort Erie in the Vandal Stakes. A certain Northern Dancer would show up for that race as well.

On Friday, August 2, 1963, Northern Dancer made his first start in the third race at Fort Erie, a $2100 Canadian foaled maiden event. He finished six and three quarters lengths ahead of a colt called Nacuba, with Fabison third. Nacuba and I had a personal connection as he was foaled and raised at Maryvale Farm, a block away from my home in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. His dam was Hecuba, whom I saw a lot of in those childhood days. My late father took many colour slides of the mares and foals at Maryvale every spring.

Here is what has to be one of the first comments on Northern Dancer as a racehorse had to say: "We may have seen an outstanding two year old colt in Windfields Northern Dancer, easy winner of the third. This one is by Nearctic, eighth winner that stallion has begat this year, and out of Natalma, a daughter of Native Dancer. Natalma cost E. Plunket Taylor a handsome penny (about $40,000 odd) as a yearling. Won the Oaks across the border only to be disqualified". This newspaper writer was right about the "outstanding" part, if wrong about the Oaks. The important Spinaway Stakes was the race from which Natalma was disqualified.

Northern Dancer's first win came that Friday afternoon. The very next day, Saturday, August 3, 1963, a future most important mate of Northern Dancer's, a 3YO filly named Goofed made an appearance in the $10,000 Heresy Stakes, about a mile on turf at Fort Erie. To the cover of Northern Dancer, Goofed would produce Lyphard, champion runner, champion sire and excellent broodmare sire. The Heresy course was soggy, but Goofed came flying at the end from way back to finish a close third to the winning colt, Belfort, and the favoured filly, Cesca.

Northern Dancer was next entered in the 6 furlong, $7500 Colin Stakes for Canadian bred 2YO on August 7^th, just five days after his maiden victory. There were quality local colts in the race, including Pierlou, another Windfields bred son of Nearctic, who would win the race, and Brockton Boy, who would finish a shocking fourth as heavy favourite. Northern Dancer was scratched.

Ramblin Road carried 122 lbs in the $7500 Vandal Stakes at six and one half furlongs at Fort Erie. Northern Dancer carried 107, and Brockton Boy 115. At the half mile pole, Northern Dancer was two and one half lengths in the lead ahead of Ramblin Road, but would be beaten by that rival by four lengths at the finish in 1:19. Brockton Boy was third. For the record, Ramblin Road was a son of Lincoln Road from Miss Margo

Solar, by Halo from Sex Appeal, was purchased as a Windfields yearling in 1977 for $75,000 by the BBA. She was a GR111 winner at two in Ireland, and would become the dam of 16 foals, the same number as her mother. None would be stakes winners, with only 5 winners from 9 runners, but Solar's family would spring to life through her daughters.

Daughter Summertown, who only placed at two and three in England, produced GR stakes placed Solar Fire.

Daughter Solariat, by Secretariat, was unraced and produced stakes winners Sexy Slew, and two by the Northern Dancer stallion, Nureyev: Angelina Ballerina and Alex Nureyev. Solariat is granddam of SW Angelina Carolina in France.

Daughter Love From the Air, unraced, gave us SW Takeawakatlove, SW Lady Paloma and is granddam of stakes winners Clapton and We Brothers.

Daughter Energie Solaire, also unraced is granddam of Mar Hondo, a CHI-111 winner.

Daughter Shining Through, an unraced daughter of Deputy Minister foaled, in 2000, Strong Hope, who is a son of Grand Slam, and thus inbred to Sex Appeal. Strong Hope was a GR11 winner with multiple GR1 placings and has entered stud at Claiborne. Shining Through also produced Bahamian Pirate, by Housebuster, who, racing from ages four through nine, is a GR1 winner in England and GR1 placed in France.

Somewhere along the line, Sex Appeal was sold, presumably privately by Windfields to European interests, as her stakes producing daughter, Bella Senora, by Northern Dancer, was not bred by Taylor.

After a while it becomes a mantra. A shrewd yearling filly purchase, here of Sex Appeal, is bred to the finest Windfields stallions and others, producing a family of runners and producers that contribute substantially to the finest history of the breed.

We now turn to the full sisters to El Gran Senor, Compliance and Try My Best. The first of these I will consider is Golden Oriole, a winner at three in Ireland. She has produced the GR111 winning colt, Castle Gandolfo, a chestnut by Gone West, by Mr. Prospector who was also GR1 placed, and Devonwood, a colt who was GR1 placed in North America, winning about $250,000. Golden Oriole is granddam of Shirokita Cross, a GR11 winner in Japan of almost $850,000.

Northern Prancer is the next full sister in the picture. She was unraced and produced multiple stakes placed Tandra Gee, a local Ontario runner.

The last full sibling to talk about is Bella Senora, dam of French GR111 winner, D'Arros and SW Napoli, both by Baillamont, a son of Blushing Groom. Napoli became the dam of Domedriver, a champion older male in France and winner of the Breeders Cup Mile in America, GR1T. Bella Senora is also granddam, through Napoli to the cover of Hernando, of Tau Ceti, a French GR111 winner, and is granddam of Sergeant York, a SW in England.

In a bit of a variation on a theme, Sex Appeal had a daughter by Nijinsky 11, I believe, the Northern Dancer champion, named Russian Ballet. This mare became the dam of Dr. Johnson, a champion 3YO colt in Ireland. Then there was the unraced Sex Appeal daughter, Carillon Miss, a daughter of the Northern Dancer champion, The Minstrel. Carillon Miss gave us a slew of stakes winners in Italy, led by Blu Air Force, champion 2YO in that country, Blu Carillon IT-GR111 winner, Try My Segnor and Blu Air Gun, both Italian stakes winners.

There is obviously a huge abundance of riches in the Sex Appeal branch of the talented Best In Show family. Yet we are not yet done with Sex Appeal. The covering sire in question now is Halo, himself from the Northern Dancer female family tracing back to Almahmoud. An excellent runner and a successful sire who stood for a time at Windfields Maryland, Halo sired Sex Appeal's third foal, the April 11, 1976 Windfields Canadian bred chestnut filly ultimately named Solar. Her story is for next time.

The next Northern Dancer-Sex Appeal colt, a bay foal of 1981, was the great runner and successful sire, El Gran Senor. He was a champion 2YO and 3YO in both England and Ireland. Among his victories were the English General Accident 2000 Guineas GR1 and the Joe McGrath Irish Sweeps Derby GR1. He won seven of eight races, his only loss coming by a head after a memorable stretch battle with another Windfields Maryland bred Northern Dancer colt, Secreto, in the English Ever Ready Derby GR1.

El Gran Senor sired many quality runners among his 55 stakes winners, but I will focus on two of his stakes winning daughters. Bright Candles, 1987, was out of Christmas Bonus, by Key to the Mint and Toussaud, 1989, was from Image of Reality, by In Reality.

Bright Candles is dam of the grade one winning runner and solid stallion, Grand Slam, by the Mr. Prospector stallion, Gone West. Grand Slam showed great courage as a runner by coming back to race after suffering a severe flesh wound in the 1997 Breeders Cup Juvenile GR1. Among the quality he has sired is Cajun Beat, victor in the Breeders Cup Sprint GR1.

Toussaud, a GR111 winner in England and a GR1 winner in the USA has produced grade one winners Empire Maker, by Unbridled, Chester House, by Mr. Prospector, Honest Lady, by Seattle Slew and Chiselling, by Woodman. She also so far has given us Decarchy, by Distant View, a GR11 winner.

El Gran Senor gave evidence of fertility problems at the beginning of his stud career, but a more or less successful remedy was found, and he went on to sire about 400 foals before retirement, of which, as mentioned, 55 were stakes winners. We will continue the Northern Dancer-Sex Appeal story next time as there is, yes, more to come.

The 2006 Belmont winner, Jazil, has a very strong female family which traces back to Best in Show, among others, a SW who produced 17 foals, 12 runners, 9 winners and 4 stakes winners. Among her unraced offspring was the chestnut mare Sex Appeal, a daughter of Buckpasser. She was purchased as a yearling in 1971 by E.P. Taylor. This Windfields connection deserves some comment as Sex Appeal became a tremendous source of quality. The next few postings will describe some of her story.

Sex Appeal was bred to Northern Dancer many times. The first of these produced Try My Best, a Windfields Maryland-bred bay colt, foaled April 28, 1975. He was sold as a yearling for $185,000 and sent to Ireland. He became a champion in England and Ireland, and went on to sire Breeders Cup Mile Gr1 winner Last Tycoon among his talented offspring. Last Tycoon himself sired group one winner Marju, who also became a useful European sire.

The next Northern Dancer-Sex Appeal foal to consider is Compliance, a bay colt of 1978. He was stakes-placed from 3 starts as a 3YO in Ireland. He did not win. His chief claim to fame was his career as a sire in New York. A mare, Broadway Joan, with an obscure pedigree, by Bold Arian, by Noble Jay, produced three offspring by Compliance who were outstanding. They are the runners Fourstardave and Fourstars Allstar, and the broodmare, Diane Suzanne.

The chestnut gelding Fourstardave won or placed in 36 stakes from ages two to nine. He won about $1,500,000, scoring a stakes win at Saratoga five consecutive seasons. Fourstars Allstar, a bay colt, also a winner of over $1,500,000, won or placed in 27 stakes, including a win in the classic Irish 2000 Guineas.

Diane Suzanne, a chestnut filly, took forever to win a race, finally emerging with a record of 53 starts and only 2 wins over 5 years of racing. To the cover of Woodman, by Mr. Prospector, Diane Suzanne produced the minor stakes winning filly, Ethyl Mae. Then, in 1998, came her big moment. She foaled Mystic Lady, by Thunder Gulch, a grandson of Mr. Prospector, with the Northern Dancer stallion, Storm Bird, a Windfields bred, in his female family, and a winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. Mystic Lady won 5 graded stakes as a 3YO, among them the Jersey Derby over colts.

Next on the Northern Dancer-Sex Appeal list is the wonderful El Gran Senor. We will look at him next time.a

As has happened to me before with this website, I went without noticing right away one of the most important members of the thoroughbred family that I was posting about.

Let us turn to the filly with the odd name You, a 1999 foal by the Kris S stallion You and I, from the mare Our Dani, a Washington bred by Homebuilder out of Lovely Briar, by Briartic-Lover's Walk (wouldn't you know!)

You was a multiple grade one winning and placing runner who ultimately won over $2 million. Her wins included the Frizette, the Acorn, the Santa Anita Oaks, the Test and the Las Virgenes Stakes, all grade one.

Briartic was by Taylor stallion, Nearctic, from Sweet Lady Briar, by Round Table. He was a sound, hard-knocking chestnut stakes winner who raced 63 times in his career on the track. He was known for knocking heads with another superior Canadian-bred runner of his day, Kennedy Road.

Each of the Windfields-bred Lovely Briar's nine runners were winners, including two who were stakes-placed. With You's stakes record guaranteeing her likely access to top stallions, and Marquetry still productive as a sire, it becomes clear that the Lover's Walk family remains a force.