A look at the pedigrees of Gandria and Free Vacation Reveals that their victories
should come as no surprise.
by J. W. Equine
The Prince of Wales Stakes and The Breeders' Stakes are not generally thought of as
"filly races", but recent results may alter that opinion somewhat. This year, both
races featured a lone filly in the field and in each case, she finished ahead of her
male counterparts. This may be developing into a trend, as last year's Breeders' Stakes
was also won by a filly.
Gandria is a daughter of Green Dancer, a full brother to Val Danseur (A stakes winner
that equaled a course record at Golden Gate Fields for 12 furlongs - 2:27.2). Sent to
France as a yearling in 1973, Green Dancer, went on to be second high-weight in France
and England based on his classic wins. At stud, he became a leading sire in France and
has sired some 80 stakes winners and 5 champions internationally. His parentage
explains part of his success and ability, in that he is by Nijinsky II (champion and
sire of 154 stakes winners and 15 champions) and from the same dam-line as Grey
Dawn II. His unraced dam, Green Valley, produced a formidable 6 stakes winners (4 of
them sires) from her 15 foals.
The dam of Gandria, Regent's Paradise (by Vice Regent), was a stakes winner of $126,588
who produced a total of 10 foals, X of which went to the track. Although Gandria was
her only stakes winner, six of her other foals were winners. Her 1988 colt by Dauphin
Fabuleux earned $132,228 in a career that spanned seven years and the balance of her
winners earned between $14,000 and $83,000. Having a stakes winning daughter of
leading sire and broodmare sire, Vice Regent, could make any breeder envious and
breeding her to a son of Nijinsky II would certainly attract the attention of
linebreeding proponents as both powerhouse sires (Nijunsky II and Vice Regent) are
Northern Dancer sons.
Return To Paradise, Gandria's second dam, won $42,824 and produced 5 winners from 7
foals. She is a daughter of Francis S. (stakes winner of $215,915 including the Wood
Memorial) and *Rich And Rare II (champion two-year-old filly in England and the second
dam of Californian sire, Pirate's Bounty and champion steeplechaser, Athenian Idol).
Since Francis S. was a Nearco grandson, as was Northern Dancer, Gandria is linebred
5x5x5 to this most influential of sires.
Gandria was bred by D. G. McClelland (Ont), is owned by Arosa Farms and trained by
James W. Cheadle. The dark bay filly may be a bit fractious, but who wouldn't expect
some attitude from a horse with two crosses to Northern Dancer in her third generation?
Also, given that she shares the same broodmare sire as Victory Gallop and her dosage
profile is 8-0-10-4-0, one would expect her to be able to handle a classic route of
ground.
While running against the boys in Canada, Gandria did not seem to garner much respect
from the bettors - a bit of the Rodney Dangerfield syndrome. She paid a handsome
$44.60 for her place in the Oueen's Plate and $28.50 for the win in the Prince Of
Wales Stakes. When she shipped south for the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on
August 21st, she met some of the top 3-year-old fillies on the continent. Leading eclipse contender, Silverbulletday won handily some nine lengths ahead of Strolling Belle who bested Gandria by three lengths. But with a show bet on Gandria only paying $2.10, it seems she was given some well-deserved respect by the betting public.
On August 15th, thirteen horses took to the Woodbine turf in the $325,000 eighth race.
With Woodcarver and Gandria racing south of the border, is was evident that there
would be a different horse in the winner's circle for each leg of the Canadian Triple
Crown. The lone filly, Free Vacation, broke in the air but recovered to close the gap,
then settled into sixth place for the first half-mile. By the three-quarter pole she
had moved up to third and by the mile marker had taken over the lead, which she would
not relinquish.
Mickey and Phyllis Canino, Bill Werner and Roger Attfield are all part owners of the
filly. The latter not only owns an interest in her, he trains her. This is the second
year in a row that Roger Attfield has taken a chestnut filly to the winner's circle in
the Breeders' Stakes. Attfield's decision to bid $50,000 US before the hammer fell at
the 1997 Keeneland Yearling Sale was, reportedly in part, based on the impression Free
Vacation's half-sister (by Meadowlake) had made on him. In addition, Free Vacation was
from the first crop of champion 2-year-old colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Fly
So Free, making the yearling price seem quite reasonable.
Fly So Free was not just a brilliant 2-year-old, at 3 he won the Grade 1 Florida Derby
and 4 other graded stakes races, at 4 he won over $200,000 racing in allowance and
stakes company and at 5 won over $190,000 at the same level of competition for total
earnings of $2,330,954. His sire, Time For A Change, was a stakes winning son of the
mighty Damascus. His dam was a stakes placed daughter of Steward that produced 2
stakes winners, a stakes placed winner and 3 other winners from 8 foals. His grandam
was also stakes placed and produced 3 stakes winners, a stakes placed winner and
several stakes producers.
Although Free Vacation's win in the Breeders' Stakes gave her the honour of being the
first stakes winner for her sire, she was not the first stakes winning foal from her
dam, Miami Vacation. The 1988 mare (a stakes winner of B0,525) had produced the stakes
winner, Exit To Rio (1994) to the cover of Mining. Her 1995 Meadowlake filly was sent
to Japan as a 2-year-old where she earned the U.S. equivalent of nearly $185,000. She
also has a daughter by Fly So Free's sire (unraced due to injury) that has her first
foal to the track this year. Miami Vacation's yearling colt by Silver Deputy is slated
to sell at Keeneland and her weanling filly by With Approval is romping in the hills
of B.C. until a decision is made on her future. Free Vacation's second dam, the stakes
winning Decision, also produced a stakes placed winner named Miami Dancer.
Free Vacation is linebred 4x5 to Native Dancer (through daughters), has a dosage
profile of 3-4-7-0-0 and was foaled in B.C. Her breeders, Bill and Susan Stewart of
Black Canyon Thoroughbreds, also bred the top selling yearling (Katahaula County -
Aim For The Stars) at this year's B.C. sale. The Stewarts kept Miami Vacation at home
to foal in 1996 and didn't breed her so as to catch her early the following year. They
were rewarded with Free Vacation on Mothers' Day. The filly spent her first year
playing up and down the hills at Black Canyon, developing balance, strength and
stamina.
IT'S IN THE GENES
At first glance the pedigrees of these two fillies don't appear to have much in common,
save for Northern Dancer. But dig a little deeper and you find that Free Vacation's
broodmare sire, Far North, is a very close genetic relative to both of Gandria's
grandparents. Vice Regent and Far North are both sons of Northern Dancer and descendants
of the Windfields matriarch, Victoriana. In addition, Far North is out of a half
sister to Nijinsky II and is a full brother to The Minstrel.
This year's Debutante winner, Frosty Kiss is also related to Free Vacation as her
sire's broodmare sire is Far North. And Gandria's sire, Green Dancer is the broodmare
sire of Seagram Cup Stakes (Can III) winner, Brite Adam.
Canadian Thoroughbred Fall 1999