Page 21 - October 2007 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, October 2007 21
News In Review
• 1991 Canadian Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award winner as Champion three- year-old filly, was euthanized in August after suffering an irreparable injury to an arthritic stifle in the paddock at Sam-Son Farm in Milton, Ontario.
Dance Smartly became the first filly to sweep the Canadian Triple Crown (1991) and the first Canadian-bred horse to win a Breeders’ Cup race.
The 19-year-old mare was not in foal at the time. Her final foal is an unraced two- year-old filly by Gone West named, Dance to the Sea.
• Pin Oak stallion, Maria’s Mon dies at age 14 after failing to recover from a weeks- long illness. Maria’s Mon was the champion 2-year-old male in 1995 and the sire of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner, Monarchos. He was ranked 27th on the general sire list in 2007 with progeny earnings of $3,894,594. He finished 11th on the list in 2006.
George Royal - Cont. from pg.20
From way off the pace, they took a stretch lead and held off another closer New York invader, Brave Lad, for a game win.
George Royal then represented Canada in the Washington International. Bill Shoemaker was aboard this time. Despite trailing after a dawdling opening quarter, he finished a close up fourth, beaten less than a length and a half. He boosted his 1965 earnings to $145,770.
Johnny Longden finally decided to hang up his tack in the winter of 1966. His final riding assignment was the San Juan Capistrano and his final mount was George Royal.
The race was
one of the most
dramatic and emo-
tional in the history
of the Arcadia
track. George
Royal, well back
early, made his move up on the outside. At the top of the stretch, he put a head in front of the leader Plaque. That one was far from through and the two battled it out the length of the home lane. A print photo proved that Johnny Longden still knew where the wire was, as he put George Royal’s nose in front. The crowd of 60,000 plus went wild. Longden retired a hero and the horse had now won two Capistranos.
While anything after that might seem anti-climactic, George Royal had one more goal to attempt, winning back-to-back Canadian
Championships. Like the previous year, he lost the prep but came up big when it counted. Partnered by Ismael Valenzuela, he came from dead last to post a three quarter length score in the excellent time of 2:42 2/5.To this day he remains the only horse in modern history (from the opening of Woodbine in 1956) to win the race two years in a row.
He was once again invited to the Washington International but a bother- some ankle didn’t allow him to run his
A replica of George Royal has a place of honour in the paddock at Hastings. He is often dressed in the blanket for the feature race of the day.
race and he ended eighth. His 1966 earnings were $120,455 for a career total of $322,242.
He was retired, but despite his turf prowess, stud farms in Ontario and the U.S. did not rush to syndicate him for stallion duty. He ended up standing at Emerald Acres in B.C. where he enjoyed good
success, despite there being no grass racing in the province. He sired stakes winners throughout the country, including the Ontario raced Connie Pat and George of Canada.
Although overshadowed by Northern Dancer, George Royal has a secure place in Canadian racing history. He was the first North American grass star bred in this country. He was part of the fairy-tale- like retirement of a racing legend. Most importantly, he proved that good horses could be raised anywhere in Canada, not just in Southern Ontario.
RICHARD MOYLAN Thoroughbred Bloodstock Agent
Breaking & Lay-ups
Sales Prep & Sales Consignment
Broodmare Care & Foaling NEW Indoor Training Arena
Hunterview Thoroughbred Horse Farm
North off Hwy #9, Between Airport Rd. & Hwy #50 993445Mono-AdjalaTownline,RR#5,Orangeville,ON L9W2Z2
Farm Phone/Fax: 519-940-0319 Cell: 416-999-1249
There must be a proverb somewhere that says a man who loves horses will live a long life or something to that effect.
Allan McLean has always been in love with horses. His first visit to a racetrack came when he was twelve years old. He went to old Brighouse Park with a family friend who placed a bet for him. He won $20 and was hooked.
“But I came about horses honestly,” he says. “My father had been a teamster in Ontario. I never realized what a good horsemen he was until I got my first horse,”
That didn’t take long.
At sixteen he got his first
job and bought his first
horse, a mare called
Adelaide Ann bred by the
great Ben Jones. Over the
years Mr. McLean owned,
trained and bred horses
and served as president of
the British Columbia
Breeders Association. In
1952 he purchased and
stood the stallion Dark Hawk—sire of Canada’s greatest racehorse George Royal.
“I paid $1500 for Dark Hawk,” he explains. “and stood him until he died in 1964. His stud fee wasn’t much. The most I ever got for him was about $350. I don’t believe all these high priced stallions are worth all that money either.”
He left horse racing for awhile he says ‘because I was browned off. We weren’t getting anywhere as an industry. We need more racing dates and bigger purses.’
“We weren’t getting anywhere and we still aren’t.”
But he is back in the business. In fact he has just bought a stallion and with two broodmares is on a quest to breed a good horse.
The stallion is Second In Command by Silver Deputy. Second In Command won stakes races at Aqueduct and Saratoga where he set a new track record running 5 1⁄2 furlongs on the turf in 1:01 4/5. Obviously Second In Command is a horse that had great speed but there are other interesting aspects to him on closer examination of his form. He could run on the front or come from off the pace. He won races over any kind of track, fast (5f 58 2/5), sloppy (6f 1:09 3/5), and the turf (5 1/2 f 1:01 4/5). He had Beyer speed ratings to 103 (consistently in the high
90’s) and won every race where he carried more than 118 lbs.
There’s a lot of interesting factors to him on the breeding side as well. A very well bred horse, he is by Silver Deputy out of Stormeor by Lyphor (GB) and
Allan McLean
Canadian equine royalty flows in his blood. Silver Deputy is by Deputy Minister who is by VICE REGENT and on the bot- tom line of the pedigree page you find such good mares as SHARP EYED QUILLO, ALLQUILLO, and CLASSY ‘N SMART dam of DANCE SMART- LY, racing royalty indeed.
A Look at Racing in British Columbia
By Jim Reynolds
It seems that Mclean has thought this through and done his homework.
“I’m syndicating the horse.” He says. “selling 15 shares. That should give me some money back and get him some mares. That’s what it’s all about, getting mares. He will stand at Jack Bennett’s farm (Roads End Farm in Langley). Jack’s a steady guy and popular, and he does a pretty good job.
“The horse will stand for $1,500 He’s certainly got speed and ability, he’s got great bloodlines and the breeding should stretch out.” he says
“I just hope he turns out to be a good sire. I bought the horse to improve the breed and to breed a good horse.”
To breed a good horse is certainly a dream of a lifetime for any horseman. It is a lengthy exercise however and Second In Command’s first foals will probably not race before 2011. A long time to wait but one filled with hope and the anticipa- tion that keeps life interesting.
Did I mention that Allan McLean is 87 years old?
Bridles
Reins
Girths
Martingales
Side Reins
Lead Shanks
Stud Shanks Newmarket Shanks
Manufacturers of quality tack including:
Exercise Saddles Belly Pads Jumping Boots Ankle Boots Breaking Surcingles Anti-Cast Surcingles Chambons
PERRY TRANSPORT LTD.
Dependable Air Ride Horse Van Service Throughout Canada & USA
Tel: (905) 859-0333 Toll Free: 1-800-263-2396
Vans Equipped with Satellite Tracking P.O. Box 880, Nobleton, Ontario L0G 1N0 Website:www.perryt.com
Halters: Foal, Weanling, Yearling, 2-Year-Old, Mare, Stallion
Custom Work, Repairs, Chaps, Nameplates, Horse Supplies, Gifts
12972 Hwy 27, Nobleton, ON L0G 1N0 905-859-4052 Fax:905-939-8096 Email: info@finchamsharness.com
www.finchamsharness.com