Viceregal (horse)
Encyclopedia
Viceregal was a Canadian
Champion
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who was voted Canadian Horse of the Year as a two-year-old.
Bred and raced by E. P. Taylor
and his Windfields Farm
, he was a first-crop son of the great Northern Dancer
and out of the Windfields-owned mare, Victoria Regina.
Viceregal was conditioned for racing by Gordon J. "Pete" McCann
. He was sent to race at age two in 1968, and although the colt suffered from soundness problems, he nonetheless won all eight of his starts and won Canadian Horse of the Year honors. Popular with racing fans because of his come-from-behind style, of his eight wins, seven were stakes races
including the two most important races for juveniles in Canada, the Coronation Futurity Stakes
and the Cup and Saucer Stakes
.
Targeted towards the 1969 Kentucky Derby
, Viceregal was sent to race in the United States but in his first start broke a bone in a forefoot that ended his racing career. Retired to stud
, Viceregal stood at Winfields Farm in Ontario
as well as at breeding operations in Germany
, France
and Japan
. In all, he sired thirty-five stakes race winners and is the damsire of the 1987 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
winner, Trempolino
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Champion
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who was voted Canadian Horse of the Year as a two-year-old.
Bred and raced by E. P. Taylor
E. P. Taylor
Edward Plunket Taylor was a Canadian business tycoon and famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. Known to his friends as "Eddie", he is universally recorded as "E. P...
and his Windfields Farm
Windfields Farm
Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated with a property near the city of Toronto known as Parkwood Stable when it was owned by...
, he was a first-crop son of the great Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
and out of the Windfields-owned mare, Victoria Regina.
Viceregal was conditioned for racing by Gordon J. "Pete" McCann
Gordon J. McCann
Gordon J. "Pete" McCann was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was born in East York, now part of the city of Toronto. Known to his family as Gordon, in racing circles he was nicknamed Pete....
. He was sent to race at age two in 1968, and although the colt suffered from soundness problems, he nonetheless won all eight of his starts and won Canadian Horse of the Year honors. Popular with racing fans because of his come-from-behind style, of his eight wins, seven were stakes races
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
including the two most important races for juveniles in Canada, the Coronation Futurity Stakes
Coronation Futurity Stakes
The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in early November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario at a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt...
and the Cup and Saucer Stakes
Cup and Saucer Stakes
The Cup and Saucer Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Open to two-year-old horses foaled in Canada, it is currently run at a distance of 11/16 miles on turf. The race was known as Mrs...
.
Targeted towards the 1969 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Viceregal was sent to race in the United States but in his first start broke a bone in a forefoot that ended his racing career. Retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
, Viceregal stood at Winfields Farm in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
as well as at breeding operations in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In all, he sired thirty-five stakes race winners and is the damsire of the 1987 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
winner, Trempolino
Trempolino
Trempolino was an French Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1987. He was bred by Marystead Farm, the American arm of French horseman Paul de Moussac, owner of the Haras du Mezeray stud farm at Ticheville in the Lower Normandy Region of France...
.