QIPCO British Championships - Fillies and Mares Stakes

It was Seal of Approval winning the first of the Group 1's in the 500,000 pound Fillies and Mares. The top 3 girls were all granddaughters of the Dancer.

1) Seal of Approval (GB) - great great granddaughter through Sadlers Wells/Montjieu
2) Belle de Crecy (IRE) - great great granddaughter x3 through Danzig/Danehill
3) Talent (GB) - great great granddaughter x2 through Sadlers Wells/Galileo

photo from Sportinglife

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EVk9z0VIAw

QIPCO British Championships - Sprint

It was Slade Power taking the sprint. As we shift from the longest to the shortest of the races on the day it didn't matter to our Dancer's genes, all three were descendants.

1) Slade Power (IRE) - great great great grandson x2 through Storm Bird, Danzig
2) Jack Dexter (GB) - great great great grandson through Lamond
3) Viztoria (IRE) - great great granddaughter through Danzig/Danehill

photo from Sportinglife

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2aPlQcQpJ4

QIPCO British Championships - Long Distance Cup

The first of the five races on Championship Day (the richest day of racing in Great Britain) went to Royal Diamond, trained and ridden by Johnny Murtagh. The top 3 finishers were all descendants of our little Canadian champion Northern Dancer.

1) Royal Diamond (IRE) - great great grandson x3 through Nuryev, Danzig, Sadlers Wells
2) Harris Tweed (GB) - great great grandson x2 through Nijinsky, Lyphard
3) Eye of the Storm (IRE) - great grandson x2 through Galileo/Sadlers Wells

photo from Sportinglife

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhnAv7ZviD4

Impressive Undefeated Filly Treve takes 2013 Prix de L'arc de Triomphe

She made it look easy as she won her 5th straight in the 4.8 million euro French Classic. No one wanted her as a yearling for 22,000 euro (sound familiar). The French bred great great granddaughter of Northern Dancer defeated the Japanese bred favourite Orfevre and finishing third was the German bred Intello. All top three Internationals were descendants of our little Canadian sire.

It was the 10th year in a row a descendant of the Dancer has won the French Classic.

1) Treve (FR) great great granddaughter x2 through Motivator/Montjeau/Sadler's Wells
2) Orfevre (JAP) great great grandson x2 through 2 Northern Taste mares
3) Intello (GER) great grandson x3 through Galileo/Sadler's Wells

image from Alan Crowhurst

2012) Solemia (IRE) great granddaughter x2
2011) Danedream (GER) great great granddaughter x2
2010) Workforce (GB) great grandson
2009) Sea the Stars (IRE) great great grandson
2008) Zarkava (IRE) great great granddaughter x2
2007) Dylan Thomas (IRE) great grandson
2006) Rail Link (GB) great great grandson x3
2005) Hurricane Run (IRE) great grandson
2004) Bago (FR) great grandson

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjERZEXqD0Y

The Woodbine Mile 2013

Wise Dan became the first back to back winner of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile and he did it in track record time (something he is getting used to). It was Wise Dan's 9th win in a row and it pushed his career earnings over the $5 million mark. He is a great great great grandson of Northern Dancer through Storm Cat. Za Approval finished second and Trade Storm third, all three are descendants of The Dancer. The video link below includes the post race interview of jockey John Velasquez by hall of famer Sandy Hawley as they return to the winner's circle.

Photos by Michael Burns. A link below to some more great photos of this beautiful chestnut by Michael Burns.

Wise Dan (USA) - great great great grandson x2 through Storm Cat
Za Approval (USA) - great great great grandson x2 through Deputy Minister
Trade Storm (GB) - great great great grandson x3 through mares from The Minstrel, Danehill and Lyphard

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f01Ryurv_gs

link to gallery of Michael Burns photos via Bloodhorse.com
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/slideshows/slideshow/the-woodbine-mile-2013/the-woodbine-mile-2013

Final Leg of British Triple Crown 2013 - Leading Light wins St Leger

Leading Light made it look relatively easy winning the 3rd leg of the British Triple Crown with Joe O'Brien aboard. The filly Talent came from last to finish a strong second and Galileo Rock finished third. It was another 1-2-3 finish for Northern Dancer grandkids. I am just playing catch up after a busy summer.

Leading Light (IRE) - great grandson x2 through Montjeu - Sadlers Wells

Talent (GB) - great great granddaughter x2 through Galileo - Sadlers Wells

Galileo Rock (IRE) - great grandson through Galileo - Sadlers Wells

Images from BBC and Getty

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

Hats & Horseshoes - the 154th running of the Queen's Plate

It was my first trip to a Queen's Plate since I was a little boy and what a wonderful event it was. Hats off to Woodbine Entertainment for putting on such a great show. It was a gorgeous day until about 3 races before the Plate when the skies opened up. We spent the rest of the time in the shelter of the Paddock area but it didn't dampen our spirits. Of course it was a 1-2-3 finish for descendants of Northern Dancer in the $1M event. The bottom 3 photos are from the Canadian Press. The top few were some of my own from the day.

1) Midnight Aria - great great grandson x2 through Vice Regent

2) Up With the Birds - great great grandson through Storm Cat and Storm Bird

3) Dynamic Sky - great great great grandson through Storm Cat and Danzig

video of race - cbc http://www.cbc.ca/player/Sports/More+Sports+Shows/Queen%27s+Plate/ID/2395963310/

full coverage from cbc http://www.cbc.ca/player/Sports/More+Sports+Shows/Queen's+Plate/ID/2395962840/

New York New York - 2013 Belmont

Well it was 3 separate winners in each leg of the Triple Crown as Palace Malice wins the Belmont with Preakness and Derby winners Oxbow and Orb finishing 2nd and 3rd. All 3 are descendants of Northern Dancer. Palace Malice is the son of Curlin who is a great great grandson of our Dancer through Canadian Hall of Famers - Vice Regent and Deputy Minister.

1) Palace Malice - great great great grandson x2
2) Oxbow - great great grandson x3
3) Orb - great great great grandson

images from AP and Getty

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

2013 British Triple Crown - Epsom Derby

Ruler of the World wins the second leg of the British Triple Crown - the Epsom Derby. It was the fourth Derby win for trainer Aidan O'Brien and second for jockey Ryan Moore. It was a very rough trip for Guineas winner Dawn Approach but like Dawn Approach, Ruler of the World is a descendant of Northern Dancer's grandson Galileo in fact the top 3 finishers in the Derby were all descendants of the Dancer through Galileo. A brief power outage did slow her Majesty down a bit.

1) Ruler of the World (IRE) - great grandson x2
2) Libertarian (GB) - great great grandson x2
3) Galileo Rock (IRE) - great grandson x2


images from Getty

video of race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VNB-2VJFY

2013 British Triple Crown - 2000 Guineas

I had better get these 2 posts done before today's Belmont Stakes. Thanks for the nudge Ian. It was a 1-2-3 finish for descendants of Northern Dancer in the first leg of this year's Triple Crown - the 2000 Guineas. It was undefeated Dawn Approach winning for Godolphin and trainer Jim Bolger. He is a grandson of the Dancer's grandson Galileo through Sadlers Wells.

1) Dawn Approach (IRE)- great great grandson
2) Glory Awaits (IRE) - great great grandson x3
3) Van Der Neer (GB) - great great grandson x3

images from Getty

video of race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju8n703ZJ8w