Breeders Cup 2013 - Distaff

Beholder made it look easy in the $2M Distaff with Gary Stevens in the saddle. The top 3 were all great granddaughters of Northern Dancer. It's been a great first day with Northern Dancer grandkids taking all 15 top 3 finishes despite being bred in 5 different countries on 3 different continents.

1) Beholder (USA) - great great great granddaughter x3 through Storm Bird/Storm Cat/Hennessy
2) Close Hatches (USA) - great great granddaughter x3 through a Storm Bird/Storm Cat mare
3) Authenticity (USA) - great great granddaughter x2 through a Vice Regent/Deputy Minister mare

photos from www.breederscup.com - click on any to enlarge them

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZCTt0qWy64

Breeders Cup 2013 - Juvenile Fillies Turf

It was the Irish bred Chriselliam over the French bred Testa Rossi in the $1M Juvenile Fillies Turf. Once again the top 3 Internationals were all descendants of our little Dancer.

1) Chriselliam (IRE) - great great granddaughter x3 through a Danzig/Danheill mare
2) Testa Rossi (FR) - great great granddaughter through Nijinsky
3) Colonel Joan (USA) - great granddaughter x3 through a Dixieland Band mare

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3VmbkqQG_g

Breeders Cup 2013 - Dirt Mile

Goldencents wired the field to win the $1M Dirt Mile. It was another 1-2-3 finish for the grandkids.

1) Goldencents (USA) - great great great grandson x2 through Storm Cat/Harlan
2) Golden Ticket (USA) - great great grandson x2 through a Vice Regent/Deputy Minister mare
3) Brujo De Olleros (BRZ) - great great grandson through a Northfields mare

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MjvStXf15U

Breeders Cup 2013 - Juvenile Turf

It was another big finish for Mike Smith aboard the GB bred Outstrip as he wins his second Cup race in a row. Of course all 3 are descendants of the Dancer.

1) Outsrip (GB) - great great grandson x3 through Danzig/Danehill/Exceed and Excel who was bred this year to Black Caviar
2) Giovanni Boldini (USA) - great grandson x2 through Danzig/War Front
3) Bobby's Kitten (USA) - great great grandson x4 through Sadlers Wells/ El Prado he is also a descendant of the Dancer's kidnapped daughter Franfreleuche.

video of race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlrwhcbi2WU

Breeders Cup 2013 - Marathon

This year's Breeders Cup is under way. It was 1-2-3 finish for US breds and all three were great great grandsons of Northern Dancer in the 1-3/4 mile race on the dirt.

1) London Bridge (USA) - great great grandson through a Danzig mare
2) Blueskiesnrainbows (USA) - great great grandson x3 through Vice Regent/Deputy Minister
3) Worldly (USA) - great great grandson through Dixieland Band


You can watch it live here
http://www.breederscup.com/

photos from www.breederscup.com - click on any to enlarge them

video of The Marathon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If2wexUV8MY

Pattison Canadian International 2013 - Joshua Tree makes it three

The Irish bred Joshua Tree was the sentimental choice but without a win this year he went off at 6-1 and became the first - three time winner of the race in its 73 year history. He was chased down the long turf stretch with by Hyper and Seismos but hung on for the half length victory. The amazing thing about the six year-old Joshua Tree is that he has won this race with 3 different trainers. All top three International finishers were descendants of Northern Dancer.

1) Joshua Tree (IRE) - great grandson x3 through Sadlers Wells/Montjeau
2) Hyper (USA) - great grandson through the Nureyev dam Raw Nerve
3) Seismos (IRE) great great grandson through a Sadlers Wells/Old Vic dam


the photos were mine just click on any to enlarge

video of race just click on race 10 bottom right
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/canadianinternational/RaceTrackNewsPage.aspx?NewsId=21284078-6a1f-4a51-8761-cd5dbdc28df8

E. P. Taylor Stakes 2013

It was an Irish bred sweep in the $500,000 E. P. Taylor Stakes as part of the Pattison International day at Woodbine with Tannery coming out on top. All top 3 finishers were Irish breds and they were also all descendants of E. P. Taylor's legacy Northern Dancer.

1) Tannery (IRE) - great granddaughter x2 through Danzig/Danehill
2) Fitful Skies (IRE) - granddaughter x3 her dam was the daughter of the Dancer's daughter Wajd
3) Moment in Time (IRE) - great great granddaughter through Danzig/Danehill

the photos were all mine just click on them to enlarge

video of race just click on race 8 on right
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/canadianinternational/RaceTrackNewsPage.aspx?NewsId=9bc78a17-624d-48ff-8d7a-446d0c685d55

Some Random shots from our day at Woodbine for the Pattison Canadian International

Meet Time Alert. We started out our day seeing this guy enjoying a walk in the walking ring under some early afternoon sunshine. His handler said he was a 24 year-old gelding son of Secretariat and I said he looks like he has some Northern Dancer blood as well. He said his dam's sire was The Minstrel one of the Dancer's first big sires. I looked up his pedigree when I got home. It looks like he had a long and successful racing career as well with 14 wins and 15 seconds in 66 starts. Today was also a celebration of Secretariat's win 4o years ago in the International, his last race. It's nice to see an old thoroughbred being treated so well and participating in the celebrations.

Linda with Secretariat's Time Magazine Cover

video of Secretariat winning the 1973 Canadian International - his last race

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

The Woodbine infield with the sun shining in

I final got my photo taken with my hero's statue.

The Avelino Gomez statue - "El Perfecto" on of my favorite jocks as a kid

That's Patrick Husbands aboard Battle for Gold the winner of the first race with all his connections in the winner's circle. He just happens to be a great great great grandson of Northern Dancer through Danzig.

even this beautiful grey Tesseron has 3 links to Northern Dancer - two on his dam's side and one on his sire's

Woodbine is a great place to Plane-Spot if you enjoy seeing the Jumbo Jets on final approach to Pearson. No zoom on the second shot it was taken from the Track Apron. I wonder if the horses ever get used to it.

my favorite handicapper Jim Bannon

Loosening up before the big race

this beautifil 4 year-old chestnut filly is the German bred Samba Brazil a 3 times great great granddaughter of Northern Dancer

That's the Dancer's great great grandson Temeraine giving me the eye as he was heading out for the big race with Luis Contreras aboard. The light was fading fast so it was getting hard to keep things in focus and you can't use a flash around the horses.

It's been a long day so I will post my photos and the results of the two big races later. Click on any image to enlarge them.