Melbourne Cup 2012 - The Race That Stops a Nation

Green Moon Wins the $6M 2012 Melbourne Cup holding off Fiorente and Jakkalberry. It sure looked like the 59KG was too much for the favourite Dunaden to repeat. It was a clean sweep for the Irish breds and a clean sweep for the Northern Dancer grandkids. Green Moon's sire the French bred Montjeu is one of the leading sires in the world and grandson of Northern Dancer through Sadlers Wells.

1) Green Moon (IRE) great grandson x3
2) Fiorente (IRE) great great great grandson
3) Jakkalberry (IRE) great great grandson


images from Getty

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_NKzephhWU

Breeders Cup 2012 The Classic

Another gutsy performance from Fort Larned who led wire to wire to win the 5 million dollar Classic. Mucho Macho Man had Fort Larned in his sites but couldn't reel him in. Fort Larned is not a descendant of our Dancer but the other two are.

It's a wrap and I think I will say high to Ted Beare who is watching from that big racetrack in the sky.

1) Fort Larned (USA) No relation
2) Mucho Macho Man (USA) great great great grandson
3) Flat Out (USA) great grandson x2


Wrapping up - 41 out of 45 top 3 finishers were descendants of Northern Dancer - pretty typical. What was very surprising this year was the number of US breds 37 out of 45 - that may be some kind of recent record.

all the great images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/classic

Breeders Cup 2012 The Mile

Wow, what a horse and quite probably Eclipse Horse of the Year. Wise Dan wins the 2 million dollar Mile in course record time and just a couple of ticks off a world record. Animal Kingdom was flying at the finish but ran into traffic and he was also coming off a 259 day layoff. It was another 1-2-3 finish for the Dancer's grandsons.

1) Wise Dan (USA) great great great grandson x3
2) Animal Kingdom (USA) great great grandson x2
3) Obviously (IRE) great great grandson x2

images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/mile

Breeders Cup 2012 The Sprint

Another great story and popular win with Trinniberg winning the 1.5 million dollar Sprint for the West Indies Parbhoo family and another 1-2-3 finish for Northern Dancer's grandkids.

1) Trinniberg (USA) great great great grandson x2
2) The Lumber Guy (USA) great great grandson
3) Smiling Tiger (USA) great great grandson

images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/xpressbet-sprint

Breeders Cup 2012 The Turf

What a great story. His dam was a gift and his sire was unraced but that didn't stop Little Mike from winning the 3 million dollar Turf. The winner was not a descendant of our Dancer but the other two are.

1) Little Mike (USA) no relation
2) Point of Entry (USA) great great great grandson
3) St Nicholas Abbey (IRE) great grandson

images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/turf

Breeders Cup 2012 Gray Goose Juvenile

Well, we're back on line in more ways than one. It was an absolutely gutsy performance from the undefeated Shanghai Bobby in the 2 million dollar Gray Goose Juvenile. It was a return to 1-2-3 finishes for the Dancer's grandkids. You are probably looking at the favourite for next year's Kentucky Derby. That's Rosie Napravnik in the irons to become just the second female Jockey to win a Breeders Cup race.

1) Shanghai Bobby (USA) great great great grandson
2) He's Had Enough (USA) great grandson x2
3) Capo Bastone (USA) great great grandson

images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/grey-goose-juvenile

Breeders Cup 2012 Turf Sprint

What a wild and crazy race. Downhill on the turf to an unheard of right turn (in the US) and then a left turn and over the dirt to the turf finish. The girls outran the boys with the mare Mizdirection beating Unbridleds Note and the mare Reneesgotzip finishing third and what do you know. Only third place finisher Reneesgotzip is a descendant of our Northern Dancer.

1) Mizdirection (USA) no relation
2) Unbridleds Note (USA) no relation
3) Reneesgotzip (USA) great great granddaughter x2

Images from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/turf-sprint

Breeders Cup 2012 Dirt Mile

No favourite this time as Tapizar looks impressive winning the Dirt Mile. Three more Dancer descendants in the top three. Shackleford stumbled coming out of the gate and never really recovered.

1) Tapizar (USA) great great great grandson x2
2) Rail Trip (USA) great great great grandson x2
3) Delegation (USA) great great great grandson x2


images from Getty - you can click on them to enlarge the photos

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/dirt-mile

Breeders Cup 2012 Filly and Mare Sprint

It was the prohibitive favourite Groupie Doll in the Filly and Mare Sprint. She sat off the pace and made her move on the turn. Northern Dancer dependants remain a perfect 24-24 with top 3 finishes.

1) Groupie Doll (USA) great granddaughter x3
2) Dust and Diamonds (USA) great great granddaughter x2
3) Switch (USA) great great granddaughter x2

images from Getty
video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/filly-mare-sprint

Breeders Cup 2012 Juvenile Turf

Saturday action is underway as George Vancouver wins the Juvenile Turf. It was 3 USA breds finishing 1-2-3 on this Turf race but all 3 were grandsons of the little Dancer. George Vancouver had to squeeze through a tight hole to take the victory.

1) George Vancouver (USA) great grandson x3
2) Noble Tune (USA) great great grandson
3) Balance the Books (USA) great great great grandson x3

images from Getty
video of the race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/juvenile-turf

Breeders Cup 2012 Ladies Classic

It was a classy mare Royal Delta winning the Ladies Classic for the second year in a row making jockey Mike Smith the winningest jockey in Breeders Cup history - he said he just stayed out of her way. That's the last race for Friday and the Northern Dancer grandkids were a perfect 18 for 18 in top 3 finishes today.

I was thinking of you today - Ted Beare - wish you were here for it bud.

1) Royal Delta (USA) great great granddaughter x2
2) My Miss Aurelia (USA) great great great granddaughter
3) Include Me Out (USA) great great granddaughter x2

images from Getty and AP

Video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/ladies-classic

Breeders Cup 2012 Fillies and Mare Turf

Typically in the 2 million dollar Filly and Mare Turf it was the International breds coming to the forefront with the French bred Zagora taking home the top prize and the Canadian bred Marketing Mix finishing second. The top 3 again were all granddaughters of Northern Dancer.

1) Zagora (FR) great great granddaughter x3
2) Marketing Mix (CAN) great great granddaughter x3
3) The Fugue (GB) great granddaughter x3

images from getty

Video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/filly-mare-turf

Breeders Cup 2012 Gray Goose Juvenile Fillies

Beholder was finally able to beat the undefeated Executiveprivilege in the 2 million dollar Gray Goose Juvenile Fillies and as expected the top 3 were all granddaughters of our Dancer.

1) Beholder (USA) great great great granddaughter x3
2) Executiveprivilege (USA) great great granddaughter x4
3) Dreaming of Julia (USA) great great great great granddaughter

Image from getty

Video of race from BC

http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/grey-goose-juvenile-fillies

Breeders Cup 2012 Juvenile Fillies Turf

We are starting to see the International flavour of the Bredders Cup races with French bred Flotilla winning the Juvenile Fillies Turf followed by the Irish bred Watsdachances. It was another 1-2-3 finish for the International Northern Dancer grandkids.

1) Flotilla (FR) great great great great granddaughter x2
2) Watsdachances (IRE) great great great granddaughter x2
3) Summer of Fun (USA) great great granddaughter

images from Getty

Video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/juvenile-fillies-turf

Breeders Cup 2012 Marathon

They go from one extreme to the other. The Sprint was just 3/4 mile for 2 year-olds and next up the Marathon 1-3/4 mile featuring older horses. The winner is the oldest ever to win a Breeders Cup Race - it's the 9 year-old Argentinian bred Calidoscopio. The one common theme between these first 2 races - top 3 once again are all descendants of the Dancer.

1) Calidoscopio (ARG) great great grandson
2) Grassy (USA) great grandson
3) Atigun (USA) great great great grandson

Image from Getty

video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/marathon

Breeders Cup 2012 Juvenile Sprint

They're off and racing in this year's Breeders Cup. In the Juvenile Sprint it was a 1-2-3 finish for descendants of Northern Dancer.

1) Hightail (USA) great great grandson
2) Merit Man (USA) great grandson
3) Sweet Shirley Mae (USA) great granddaughter

Image from Getty

Video of race from BC
http://www.breederscup.com/results/2012/juvenile-sprint