Page 20 - November 2008 The Game

20 The Game, November 2008 Remembering Donald Gilkey
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Railbird
A Look at Racing in British Columbia By Jim Reynolds
Boxer, soldier, raconteur, con-man and, at least to him, sporting life leg- end, Donald Gilkey hung around the eastern racing circuit in the 1960’s. He was a pal to the ‘swells’ as he called them in the clubhouse at Woodbine where he was a regular at the tables of leading owners and trainers who ha- bituated the lofty heights of the upper grandstand.
was... “make sure the horse gets fed.” We developed a routine over the next
with enough cold water to lower Lake Ontario a good inch.’
Gilkey’s exploits were legendary. According to Gilkey he had been a champion boxer, had once fought Jack Dempsey, held the world record for the quickest knockout, had fought as a Colonel in WWII and was once lead- ing trainer at Saratoga. For Donald the fuzzy lines of truth meant little in the telling of a story. But if his face was a hint to his past he had been a ghter, had lived the life. He had a certain ‘hard-knocks’ look about him.
The last time I saw him was at Woodbine in about 1970. Leaning on the railing of Dave Cross’ barn we talked brie y.
In the summer of ‘66 I worked for Frank Merrill and got to know Gilkey pretty well when Frank gave him a horse and a tack-room in our barn. Frank’s only admonishment to me
Much was made of that old horse. The Toronto sportswriters loved Gilkey and his stories were fodder for their columns. He told one scribe that he had...’hosed that horse’s legs
Mr. Coleman told me this story. Sometime in the 1970’s he was visiting Santa Anita racetrack and saw Gilkey in an owners box with several of his Carnie friends. He was sitting on a
box of grapefruit and offering them to passers-by.
few weeks. After my own four were done I would knock on Gilkey’s door around 10:30. Most days a hand or par- tial arm would appear proffering a ve dollar bill which I would take down the shed to Centre eld Willie’s room (Center eld was the track bootlegger I made runs for; bank, liquor store etc.) get a mickey of single star rye, return to Gilkey’s room and, knock again until the arm reappeared to take the bottle.
As I sat down to lunch Gilkey would come into the kitchen, dressed for the day in a brown pin-stripe suit with wide lapels, white shirt, suspenders and a wide oral tie, walk up to my table and say “Jimmy my boy,” in his gravelly morning voice, “I have come to give you the honour of my presence at your repast.” Which meant I was expected to buy him lunch.
and they recognized him as one of their own.
While Gilkey was getting ready for his day I would ‘train’ his horse. This meant removing the previous nights bandages, hose the gelding’s sore old legs, walk him about as far as he could make it and re-bandage him in mud and poultices. After that I’d feed him and go for lunch.
“If you have papers,” he said “roll me one.” I smiled and did. The con never ended.
Now I don’t know about Frank or Jack Stafford or Dr. Fishman or any other of Gilkey’s friends but I never minded the con. It wasn’t malicious. There was no real deceit, it was a
con and you were part of it. The man could be quite charming in a gruff sort of way and an occasional two dollar bill for lunch was a small price to pay for admission to his world and it’s stories—to be part of the on-going con. I think that’s why people in clubhouses and racetracks around North America tolerated him. They liked having him around. He was a colourful character
“Hey Gilk.”
“Hey kid. Got a cigarette?”
I told him I only had rolling tobacco.
I never saw Gilkey after that, and a few years ago I asked the late sports- writer Jim Coleman if he had heard what happened to him.
Sadler’s Wells: The Northern Dancer Dynasty in the 21st Century
By Gary Poole
One of the greatest moments among the innumer- able high points of Northern Dancer’s incomparable stud career came on June 6, 1984 in the running of the world’s most famous horse race, the Derby at Epsom. That afternoon the previously unbeaten El Gran Senor was nailed on the wire by the unheralded Secreto in one of the most exciting renewals ever of the classic event. One son of Northern Dancer seem- ingly destined for greatness was upset by another less celebrated offspring of the super sire who now had fathered three winners of England’s signature race.
(through mid-year 2008) with 295 added money winners. Northern Dancer was four times the lead- ing sire in England. Sadler’s Wells was the combined Great Britain-Ireland champion stallion fourteen times.
been awarded to a two year old lly.
Sadler’s Wells’ third dam was Thong. A stakes
Many people wondered how even so illustrious a stallion could beget two such outstanding individu- als in the same crop. They would have been utterly shocked to learn that a colt who would ultimately prove the most signi cant graduate of the Dancer’s class of 1981 had raced two days previously in the Prix du Jockey Club (The French Derby) at the Chantilly racecourse in Paris. In that race a colt named Sadler’s Wells, after racing prominently throughout the twelve furlong distance, was caught in the nal yards and suffered a narrow loss to the very good runner Darshaan. The winner would go on to be named France’s top three year old of his year and in the stud would sire such good runners as Arc winner Dalakhani and English Guineas victor Mark of Esteem.
However Sadler’s Wells does stand a very good chance of becoming as the Romans said “primus inter pares” ( rst among equals) among Northern Dancer’s sons and grandsons and he may eventually, to switch languages and cultures, become the heir apparent to his father’s throne.
Sadler’s Wells’ dam is Fairy Bridge, a winner of less than $5,000 but who produced two other out- standing individuals, both also sons of Northern Dancer. One was Tate Gallery a group winner who died young and Fairy King, who as a runner was unplaced but who sired Arc winner Helissio and the good Australian racehorse and sire Encosta de Lago.
Sadler’s Wells who was previously a classic winner in the Irish 2000 Guineas, later achieved further Group One success capturing the Sandown Eclipse and the Phoenix Champion Stakes. He was even named France’s leading miler of the year. Still he was at the time probably rated as the third best Northern Dancer of his foaling year.
One of his main strengths is his distaff pedigree. His fourth dam Rough Shod was a true blue hen mare. She was the dam of Ridan, an outstanding sophomore of 1962 whose epic battle with Jaipur in the Travers Stakes is remembered as one of
The Rasmussen factor is of course descent from
an important female through separate individuals. Only a small number of horses can claim this trait but it has produced a number of high quality run- ners. It gives Sadler’s Wells the extra opportunity of being the ancestor of the sort of individual that could become an important stallion. Red Rocks with career earnings of just under $3,000,000 could be that kind of horse.
When it came to importance as a sire it was a much different story. Northern Dancer is credited with fathering 147 stakes winners. Sadler’s Wells, with nal totals not yet in (he was just retired from stallion duty this year), has already been credited
the greatest races of all-time. She also produced
Lt. Stevens, a multiple stakes winner who sired millionaire lly Sefa’s Beauty and top mare Chou Croute during a long productive stud career. How- ever Rough Shod’s greatest offspring was Mocassin who holds a unique distinction. She was co-Horse of the Year in 1965, the only time that high honour has
Another advantage that Sadler’s Wells holds over other Northern Dancer line stallions is that almost all of his top offspring are classic type racers that can run forever and beyond.
This is not said in any way to denigrate the preemi- nence rightly held by Northern Dancer as the great- est stallion of the modern era. The Canadian born sire earned his English titles while standing overseas in North America and as a sire of sires and the sire
placed runner, she earned greater fame as the dam of the excellent grasser and grade one winner King Pel- linore. Veteran Canadian racing fans may remember another of her offspring, Geiger Counter, who spent part of a successful stud career in Ontario.
of the sires of sires he has no equal in history. Any horse who wants to match his signi cance in the world of thoroughbred breeding has a long ways to go.
Our subject’s second dam was the aptly named Special. She was the mother of another leading Northern Dancer stallion Nureyev as well as the good llies Number and Bound, both of which earned in excess of $300,000.
He will not achieve these positions easily and not likely at any time in the near future. Storm Bird thru his son Storm Cat is currently in an ascendant posi- tion in North America and Danzig thru his outstand- ing grandson Big Brown may have the opportunity to establish his own dynasty. Sadler’s Wells does however have some assets in his favour to suggest that eventually he will become the chief tail-male source of Northern Dancer blood internationally.
Since Fairy Bridge has two outstanding sons in stud she is able to contribute the Rasmussen factor to some of her descendants. One of these is Red Rocks, the 2006 Breeders Cup champion who beat Horse of the Year Curlin in the Man o’War stakes this year. Red Rocks has both Sadler’s Wells and Fairy King in his pedigree.
Continued next page - see Sadler’s Wells
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