Hong Kong Cup 2013

Akeed Mofeed wins the Hong Kong Cup after scraping paint and squeezing out off the rail in the stretch to overtake Tokei Halo with Cirrus Des Aigles finishing third. The GB bred Akeed Mofeed is the grandson of Dubai Millennium whose amazing story you can read about in an earlier post. All top 3 finishers were descendants of Northern Dancer.

1) Akked Mofeed (GB) - great great great grandson x5 through Dubai Millennium/Dubawi
2) Tokei Halo (JPN) - great great grandson x2 through the Dancer's daughter Near
3) Cirrus Des Aigles (FR) great great great grandson through Nijinsky and Lyphard


So another Hong Kong Cup day is in the books and at the end of it 11 of the top 12 finishers were descendants of our little Canadian hero. They added another $8M to the family earnings. To understand the International impact Northern Dancer had on his sport they were bred in 5 different countries off 3 different continents if you include the fourth place finisher Cerise Cherry and none from North America or Australia where The Dancer's roots are so deep and wide.

All photos from HKJC - while I wait for the Cup photos above you can see what an event this is - that free white souvenir cap would look good along side my Woodbine International scarf. You can see the massive crowds and top notch entertainment and fashion finished off with award winning fireworks. This event would definitely be on my bucket list and we have contacts in Hong Kong. Maybe one day.

video of the race

http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/video/play.asp?type=replay-full&date=20131208&no=08&lang=eng

link to post about Dubai Millennium - No Ordinary Joe - he died so very young after covering only 65 mares in his brief career as a stallion but his legacy lives on today
http://northerndancerblog.blogspot.ca/search?q=dubai+millennium

link to HKJC results, videos, form charts etc
http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/Info/Meeting/Results/English/Local/20131208/ST/8

Hong Kong Mile 2013

In a rare occurrence even for Hong Kong and Australia, the winner Glorious Days was not a descendant of Northern Dancer. The second and third place finishers Gold-Fun and Packing Whiz were great grandsons of The Dancer.

1) Glorious Days (AUS) - no relation
2) Gold-Fun (IRE) - great great grandson x2 through Danzig and El Gran Senor
3) Packing Whiz (IRE) - great great great grandson through Danzig and The Minstrel


Photos from HKJC

video of the race
http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/video/play.asp?type=replay-full&date=20131208&no=07&lang=eng

Hong Kong Sprint 2013

It was the Japanese bred Lord Kanaloa winning the Sprint for the second year in a row with two more European breds finishing second and third in Sole Power and Frederick Engels. The South African bred Cerise Cherry finished fourth. All 4 were grandkids of The Dancer.

1) Lord Kanaloa (JPN) - great great grandson x4 through a Storm Cat mare
2) Sole Power (GB) - great great great grandson x2 through Nuryev
3) Frederick Engels (GB) - great great grandson x3 through Nuryev

Photos from HJKC

video of race
http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/video/play.asp?type=replay-full&date=20131208&no=05&lang=eng

Hong Kong Vase 2013

Andrew Lloyd Weber's brilliant filly The Fugue had a terrible trip but still almost caught the winner Dominant in deep stretch with Dunaden finishing third. All three European breds are descendants of Northern Dancer. It was the first win of the Vase by a Hong Kong trainer in 15 years. Trainer John Moore has now won all 4 prestigious Hong Kong races.

1) Dominant (IRE) - great great grandson x5 through Danzig/Danehill
2) The Fugue (GB) - great granddaughter x3 through Danzig/Danehill and a Sadlers Wells mare
3) Dunaden (FR) - great great great grandson x2 through El Gran Senor


Photos from HKJC

video of race
http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/video/play.asp?type=replay-full&date=20131208&no=04&lang=eng

Hong Kong Cup 2013

In just over 15 hours the Hong Kong Cup races will go from beautiful Sha Tin Race Course in Hong Kong. Fifty-two thoroughbreds from 9 different countries on 5 different continents will be competing for the $70M in purses ($10M US) over 4 races culminating in the Cup. Let's see how many are descendants of our Canadian Athlete of the Year 1964.

The Trackside Breakfast with the Stars is under way right now.

Link to site - usually great coverage
http://campaign.hkjc.com/en/2013-hkir/2013-hkir-eventlist-3.aspx

Japan Cup 2013

It was the filly Gentildonna winning the 33rd running of the $5.8M Japan Cup. Gentildonna became the first horse ever to win the Classic twice, she won it last year. She won it by a whisker over another filly Denim and Ruby with Tosen Jordan finishing third. All 3 were Japanese breds and of course all 3 were descendants of our little Canadian Northern Dancer.

1) Gentildonna (JPN) - great great granddaughter x3 through Danzig/Bertolini
2) Denim and Ruby (JPN) - great great granddaughter x4 through Nuryev
3) Tosen Jordan (JPN) - great grandson x2 through Northern Taste


photos from japan racing association - click on to enlarge

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkLDpt1iLbE

Phar Lap

Before Northern Dancer, Secretariat and Seabiscuit there was Phar Lap. Some say he was the greatest thoroughbred of all time. As far as I am concerned it was the best horse racing movie and I have been looking for it for years at flear markets and video shops. While getting ready for tonight's Japan Cup I found a full version on youtube. I just spent two hours watching it for the first time in over 10 years. What a treat. It's a true story about another equine hero.

Here is the link if you are interested - good quality also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJG3ho_z2zM

wikipedia link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phar_Lap

photo from museum Victoria

http://museumvictoria.com.au/pharlap/index.asp

Melbourne Cup 2013

Images from getty

Top 2 images from AAP - that's the popular Gai Waterhouse celebrating in the centre of the 2nd shot

The race that stops a Nation goes in an hour or so. Here's a few fashion shots from Getty while we wait.

I had time to check the pedigree of all 24 starters. They were bred in 5 different countries and each is a descendant of Northern Dancer so let's add another $6M Australian to the grandkids bankroll.

It was a popular win for female trainer Gai Waterhouse. Damien Oliver was in the saddle for his 3rd Cup as Fiorente wins the Cup. A dark shadow on the day as the Aga Khan's French bred mare Verema went down with a broken canon bone during the race.

1) Fiorente (IRE) - great great great grandson x2 through Danzig
2) Red Cadeaux (GB) - great great grandson x2 through Nuryev
3) Mount Athos (IRE) - great grandson through Sadlers Wells/Montjeau


video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKanuV8U6NY

Breeders Cup 2013 - The Classic

It was Mucho Macho Man and Gary Stevens taking the $5M Classic by a whisker over Will Take Charge and Declaration of War in third. It was an emotional win for Stevens after 7 years off and for trainer Katherine Ritvo. All 3 American breds are descendants of Northern Dancer.

It's been quite a weekend for Breeders Cup #30. There were 14 races for $25M in prize money. Of the 42 top 3 finishers all but 2 were descendants of Northern Dancer. Those Dancer grandkids were bred in 7 different countries on 3 different continents bringing home another $20M for the descendants of the little guy from Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario who nobody wanted for $25,000 in 1962.

This Tuesday we will see what influence The Dancer has down under in the race that stops a Nation. The Melbourne Cup goes this week.

1) Mucho Macho Man (USA) - great great great grandson through Nijinsky
2) Will Take Charge (USA) - great great great grandson through Vice Regent/Deputy Minister
3) Declaration of War (USA) - great grandson x3 through Danzig/War Front


all photos from www.breederscup.com - great coverage and site this year

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-d8AaCzbqE

Breeders Cup 2013 - The Mile

Last year's horse of the year Wise Dan repeats as Mile Champion in the $2M Breeders Cup Mile. It was Za Approval second and Silentio third. The Europeans were shout out in this one. All 3 American breds were great great great grandsons of The Dancer.

1) Wise Dan (USA) - great great great grandson x3 through Storm Bird/Storm Cat/Hennessy
2) Za Approval (USA) - great great great grandson through Vice Regent/Deputy Minister
3) Silentio (USA) - great great great grandson through Danzig and Lyphard

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWlVXT216io