Japan Cup 2011 - Buena Vista wins it for the girls

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It was a 1-2-3 finish for the Japanese breds and a 1-2-3 finish for descendants of Northern Dancer in what is billed as the 3rd richest race in the world. The great mare Buena Vista outduelled Tosen Jordan down the stretch with Jaguar Mail finishing third to win over 250,000,000 yen (over $3M US) first place money. Danedream and Victoire Pisa winners of l'Arc and the Dubai World Cup finished well back. It was vindication for the 5 year-old mare who won the race last year but was demoted to second after the stewards ruled her jockey interfered with Rose Kingdom who was promoted for the win.

1) Buena Vista - great great grandaughter x2
2) Tosen Jordan - great grandson x2
3) Jaguar Mail - great great grandson x2

above images from Getty

great early video coverage of the race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpxYVkrc_J8

quick link to my last year's post and video where Buena Vista won the race a little more convincingly but had her number taken down by the stewards
http://northerndancerblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/japan-cup-2010-1-2-or-2-1-finish-for.html

Breeders Cup 2011 - Classic

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Wow, what a great day of racing and lots of surprises. Drosselmeyer came out of nowhere to overtake Game On Dude to win the Classic for Winstar Farms (my Facebook friends). Ruler On Ice finished third. The win tied jockey Mike Smith with Jerry Bailey with the most Breeders Cup wins all time (15). All top 3 were grandkids of the Dancer and Ruler On Ice is another descendant of Fanny through L'Enjoleur.

1) Drosselmeyer - great great grandson x3
2) Game On Dude - great great grandson
3) Ruler On Ice - great great great grandson (Fanny)

Great Images from Getty

Fantastic 2 days of racing. That is the most top 3 finishers on a Breeders Cup weekend for descendants of Northern Dancer - 44 0f the 45 top 3 finishers and over $20 Million earned. I was thinking of our friend and great writer Ted Beare today. I wish he could have been there like he was for so so many years of Breeders Cups. I felt like I was watching this for two. We miss you Ted.

video of the race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/0/kZaELcMJ95s

Breeders Cup 2011 - Mile

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Goldikova came up short in her bid to be the first 4 time Breeders Cup winner after a brilliant effort in the mile. She was hemmed in around the turn and had to bump her way out before taking the lead but she couldn't hang on as Court Vision edged out Turallure by a whisker at the wire. Goldikova could have been taken down for her obvious bump of Courageous Cat (and others) but the stewards left her number up for third. Again all 3 were descendants of the Dancer.

1) Court Vision - great great grandson
2) Turallure - great grandson
3) Goldikova - great granddaughter x2

Image from Getty

video of the race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/1/7_JY35JjPt8

Breeders Cup 2011 - Juvenile

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Speed burns as the obvious speed horse in the Juvenile - the grey Hansen hangs on to beat favorite Union Rags at the wire with Creative Cause third and another 1-2-3 finish for Northern Dancer descendants.

1) Hansen - great great great grandson x2
2) Union Rags - great grandson x2
3) Creative Cause - great great grandson

Images from Getty

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/5/lm6PTqsSi9w

Breeders Cup 2011 - Turf

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Wow, highlight of the day for me. No surprise in that an Aidan O'Brien trained horse can win a classic race but the jock is his 18 year-old son Joseph Patrick O'Brien who becomes the youngest jockey to win a Breeders Cup race. What's maybe more interesting is that his career as a jockey could be over almost before it starts. Joey stands 5'11 and weighs 9 stone (126 lbs). He will probably end up following in his father's hoofprints as he already is a big part of the training regimen with his dad. Oh, by the way - another 1-2-3 finish for the grandsons.

St Nicholas Abbey (IRE) - great grandson
Sea Moon (GB) - great great grandson x2
Brilliant Speed - great great great grandson

Images from Getty

video of the race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/2/TfwiZ1Dzz8U

Breeders Cup 2011 - Dirt Mile

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It was an exciting finish with Caleb's Posse coming from way back at the top of the stretch to run down Shackleford with Tres Borrachos finishing third and another 1-2-3 finish for the grandkids.

1) Caleb's Posse - great great grandson
2) Shackleford - great great grandson
3) Tres Borrachos - great great great grandson x3

Images from Getty

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/10/S-8-fZ0gSYY

Breeders Cup 2011 - Turf Sprint

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It's another 1-2-3 finish for descendants of the Dancer in the Turf Sprint.

1) Regally Ready - great great grandson
2) Country Day - great great great grandson
3) Perfect Officer - great great great grandson x2

Image from Getty of Coey Nakatani aboard Regally Ready

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/9/vRj6_vQd35Y

Breeders Cup 2011 - Sprint

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You have to love his name and the fact that he was a throw in on a $5,000 purchase. Amazombie wins the $1.5 Million Sprint ahead of Force Freeze and Jackson Bend. Three more descendants of the Dancer so not only do they take the 14 furlong Marathon they also take the short 6 furlong Sprint. Amazombie is also the second champion of the day coming through the Dancer's granddaughter Nuryette from Nuryev, she was also the great grandma of Afleet Again (winner of the Marathon).

1) Amazombie - great great grandson (Nuryette)
2) Force Freeze - great great grandson
3) Jackson Bend - great great great grandson x3

Images from Getty

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/4/WIh_qe0w_a8

Breeders Cup 2011 - Juvenile Turf

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It was 3 more great grandsons on top of the Juvenile Turf with the Irish bred Wrote winning going away. Excaper was 2nd and another Irish bred Faarraaj in third. Wrote's sire High Chaparral won 2 Breeders Cup Turfs and his sire Sadlers Wells (from the Dancer's 1981 crop) led England's sire list for 13 consecutive years.

1) Wrote (IRE) - great grandson x3
2) Excaper - great grandson x2
3) Farraaj (IRE) - great grandson x3

Images from Getty - look at the focus in Wrote's eye (click on photo to enlarge)

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/7/YP5bwEAEu28

Breeders Cup 2011 - Marathon

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Saturday races are underway. It was another longshot, the grey Afleet Again at 41-1 who wins the Marathon with Birdrun 2nd and Giant Oak 3rd. All 3 are descendants of Northern Dancer. Now, before someone says it - I will - you hear 80% of all thoroughbreds can now be traced back to Northern Dancer. I don't know if that stat can be supported but even if it can we still see more than 80% of the winners in the biggest races in the world (and I do mean the entire world) coming through our Canadian athlete of the year from 1964.

1) Afleet Again - great great great grandson (Nuryette)
2) Birdrun - great great grandson
3) Giant Oak - great great grandson x2

Before and after images from Getty

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/BCWorldChampionships#p/u/6/d-MjcDFNoWc