Page 28 - February 2005 The Game

28 The Game, February 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Devil Begone is Back in Ontario
Thoroughbred horse owner Gerry Gibbs recorded his first win as an owner in 1968 at Blue Bonnets in Quebec.
In 1992, Gerry purchased Devil Begone as a two-year-old and raced him at Woodbine. He broke his maiden and had a second place finish before being injured in his third start subsequently he was lightly raced as a three year old. In his four year old campaign he recorded another win and a second before being retired.
Devil Begone is a 1990 son of Devil’s Bag out of an Alydar mare, Endear. He began his stud duty at Curraghmore Farms in 1995 and covered nine mares in his first season, 10 mares the second season and 21 mares his third season.
During that time the outlook for thoroughbred racing in the Province was not very promising and the decision was made to contract the stallion to stand in New Mexico. It was a move which would prove unfortunate because after the deal was done his progeny began to shine here in Ontario.
Out of Devil Begone’s first crop came Java Devil, a gelding out of the mare Stars Collide, by Java Gold. He was a proven runner breaking his maiden at age 3 in 1999.
Devil Begone’s second crop produced runners: Cat On a Roof ($98,085); Champie G ($91,504); Jittery Bug ($86,179); as well as talented stakes winner, I and I.
IandIwasahomebredoutofthemareMissSky McGrew, by Naked Sky whom Gerry sold as a yearling to Wesley Clayton. He was multiple stakes placed at age 2 recording a win in the 1999 Simcoe Stakes after a second in the Bull Page Stakes. I and I finished off his 2-year-old campaign with a second in the Coronation Futurity.
The following year he was the winterbook favorite on the road to the Queen’s Plate and finished second in the Plate Trial before replicating that position in the 2000 Queen’s Plate where he finishing second to Scatter The Gold. He also had a second in the Sir Barton Stakes at the end of the season.
I and I raced until age seven and retired with 6 wins, 12 seconds, 6 thirds in 40 starts and $561,314 in earnings.
Devil Begone’s third crop also produced runners including: Devil’s Prophet ($133,230); Stakes placed Devilatmidnight ($159,148); and most notably, the multiple stakes winner, Devil Valentine.
Devil Valentine, out of the mare Casual Rendezvous, by High Brite, was another home bred for Gerry and raced under S&G Gibbs. He had three starts in his two year old campaign including a second in the 2000 Coronation Futurity after break- ing his maiden earlier in the season. He finished off the year with a win in the Kingarvie Stakes.
In his three-year-old campaign, Devil Valentine, was also Queen’s Plate winterbook favorite, and had wins in the Deputy Minister and Sir Barton Stakes after a second in the Vice Regent Stakes. He followed that up in 2002 with a second in the Bunty Lawless behind Steady Ruckus and the Overskate behind Krz Ruckus and Mighty Quinn.
Devil Valentine raced to age 6 and had career totals of 8 wins, 8 seconds and 4 thirds in 47 starts with $521,297 in purse earnings.
The term of agreement in New Mexico has now expired and the now fifteen-year-old stallion Devil Begone is back in Ontario and will be standing the 2005 season at Peter De Wit’s Display Farm in Orton, ON.
continue where he left off and says that breeders should take a good look at what his pedigree has to offer stating that he is from a fabulous female family.
Devil Begone is from a Claiborne line that dates back 50 years of producing Grade 1 winners. His dam, Endear, is a Grade 1 winning mare who defeated Breeders’ Cup winner and Horse of the Year, Ladies Secret. Unfortunately Endear had only produced two foals before being struck and killed by lightening at Claiborne. Her first foal was the talented Graded Stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup winner, Lure, by Danzig, winner of more than $2.5 million. As a sire, Lure produced from his first crop, Grade 1 winner, Orpen, who is a reverse pedigree to Devil Begone.
Devil Begone will stand for $3,000 in 2005 and offers an opportunity for small breeders to produce a nice racehorse. He continued on to say that a Danzig line speed mare is very pre-potent with Devil Begone and crosses with Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer line mares also works well.
Gerry’s most recent homebred confirms the line. His 3-year-old filly, Gift of the Heart, by Ascot Knight, is out of a Devil Begone mare and is the same formula as Orpen. Gift of the Heart won at first asking going 1 mile at Woodbine in 2004.
In an email received by The Game from Gerry it stated, “Click on Claiborne farm.com under statistics for Devil’s Bag and you see Devil’s Bag horses have won or placed in 300 stakes races with $50 million in earnings.
Devil Begone is the best bred son of Devil’s Bag. You can review which crosses have worked with Devil Begone's sire line using the past performances.
“Devil’s Bag was born at Windfields Farm in Ontario and more importantly his sire line works extremely well with the mare population in Ontario.”
Gerry mentioned that Devil Begone adds a lot of bone and substance to his progeny and backed it up by stating that I and I's dam was running for $5,000 pots and had 4 foals that never raced before being bred to Devil Begone. Devil Valentine’s dam was stakes placed. Devil at Midnight's dam was unraced and Java Devil came from an unraced $3000 Keeneland mare. “There were other unraced mares which produced winners. Devil Begone over came and out bred a lot conformation defects with his runners.” he said.
“I am relieved that he’s back and I am looking forward to breeding a few more nice horses like, I and I, and Devil Valentine.” commented Gerry. “A prospective foal (by Devil Begone) will have all of the positive attributes anyone would want in a racehorse.”
Gerry is confident that the stallion will be able to
Stallion Devil Begone
New in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
If the cold weather is getting you down and you are missing the thrill of horseracing....why not drop by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (CHRHF) and step back into the history of the sport in Canada.
The CHRHF is located just inside the West Entrance to the grandstand at Woodbine Racetrack.
A new feature in the Hall of Fame is this stunning bronze masterpiece of Northern Dancer (pictured here).
Canada’s greatest Thoroughbred and world acclaimed sire of Champions is exhibited by Trevor Allan Gallery. Transformed into a bronze masterpiece by artist Charles Parous, it captures the brilliance, character and majesty of this cherished racehorse. Astride the Windfields Farm’s colt is Bill Hartak, who rode him to victories in the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Queen’s Plate.
Mr. Parous, an internationally acclaimed artist, has his sculptures on public display in hotel foyers, office lobbies and in private collections throughout the world. His works are exclusively available at Trevor Allan Gallery in Toronto.
The piece was cast originally from a wood mould. It is the only one of five still available for sale and it weighs 850 pounds, is 6’ 9” in height & 8’ 4” in length. www.trevorallan.com
Nobleton Feed sales representative, Cheryl Green, is with Santa Claus (a.k.a. Nobleton Feed employee, Gord James) and Draco, the dog who played Diefenbaker on the T.V. show, Due South.
The trio were taking part in a special promotion, just before Christmas, to launch Masterfeeds new dog food product.
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