George Vancouver - Grade 1 Breeders' Cup winner

GEORGE VANCOUVER (USA) - 2010 bay horse

A first-crop son of the top-class miler Henrythenavigator (by Kingmambo), George Vancouver was a smart two-year-old but unplaced in all three of his starts at three. He got off the mark at the third attempt, easily winning a six-furlong Dundalk maiden, then failed by three-parts of a length to beat Reckless Abandon in the Group 1 Prix Morny before disappointing when favourite in a Group 3 contest at the Curragh.

His final two starts that season are probably what helped to secure a place at stud for him, because they showed that his run at Deauville had not been a fluke. He finished third behind champion Dawn Approach in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket and then won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf over a mile on firm ground at Santa Anita.

Saarland (by Unbridled) was the best of his siblings, a Grade 2 Remsen Stakes winner whose notable placings included second in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. He sired a few stakes winners from his time at Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky, but was retired after just three seasons, due to a fertility issue, and then died following a paddock accident.

His half-brother Reparations (by Forty Niner), who won a nine furlong maiden, has also sired some blacktype horses, stakes winners and six-figured earners from limited opportunities.

Being a half-brother to two blacktype sires boosts the prospects of George Vancouver, who, like them, also represents a branch of the Mr Prospector (by Raise A Native) line.

His dam, Versailles Treaty (by Danzig), was a top-class performer in the USA where she won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, Grade 1 Test Stakes, Grade 1 Gazelle Stakes and Grade 1 Ruffian Handicap. Her string of Grade 1 placings included two editions of the Breeders' Cup Distaff and two of the Beldame Stakes, and this made her easily the best of three blacktype-winning offspring of the Grade 2 runner-up Ten Cents A Dance (by Buckpasser).

Her Grade 1-placed half-sister Arabian Dancer (by Damascus) was the dam of the Grade 3 scorers Out of Place (by Cox's Ridge) and Lead Kindly Light (by Majestic Light), the latter a filly who became the dam of Grade 1-winning miler Gold Fever (by Forty Niner) and grandam of Grade 1 Man O' War Stakes scorer Boisterous (by Distorted Humor).

Out of Place and Gold Fever got some notable results as stallions. The first-named began his career in Florida, earned an upgrade to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, and his 44 stakes winners included the Grade 2 scorers Orville N Wilbur's and Certain. Gold Fever, on the other hand, is responsible for the Grade 1-placed dual Grade 2 scorer Gold Mover and for Canadian champion and classic star A Bit O'Gold.

Arabian Dancer's more distant descendants include Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes winner and New York-based stallion Bellamy Road (by Concerto), whose 25 stakes winners include the Grade 1 scorer Toby's Corner.

His connection to George Vancouver is remote, but classic-placed multiple Grade 1 star and blacktype sire General Assembly (by Secretariat), who is a half-brother to his grandam Ten Cents A Dance, is closer.

That star's multiple Grade 3-winning half-sister Expressive Dance (by Riva Ridge) came up with Grade 1 winner and successful sire Chief Honcho (by Chief's Crown), she is the grandam of Grade 2 scorer and blacktype sire American Chance (by Cure The Blues), and her descendants also include the Group 1-winning miler and current second-crop sire Poet's Voice (by Dubawi).

The pattern in this family, therefore, is that it produced top-class racehorses and it also gets colts who are capable of going on to sire stakes and pattern winners at stud. It is reasonable to suggest, therefore, that some blacktype success awaits progeny of George Vancouver. He stands at Haras de la Hetraie, in France, and one of his first yearlings sold was a €50,000 colt bought by Jean-Claude Rouget.

GEORGE VANCOUVER (USA) – b.2010 – Henrythenavigator – Versailles Treaty, 2 wins inc Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr1), 2nd Prix Morny (Gr1), 3rd Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1). Sire in France. First foals in 2015.

YEARLINGS CATALOGUED (updated)
bc - Akita (by Giant's Causeway)     Arqana     Oct     ​not sold
bc - Asiana (by Westerner)     Arqana     Oct     €9,000
bf – Chickasaw (by Bertolini)     Osarus     Sept     €6,000
bc – Connaissance (by Choisir)     Osarus     Sept     €22,000
bf – Coupe Du Roi (by Kingsalsa)     Osarus     Sept    
bf - Coupe Du Roi (by Kingsalsa)     Arqana     Oct     (p/s) €7,000
bf - Desert Nights (by Desert Style)     Arqana     Oct     €3,000
bf - Diolefine (by Elusive City)     Arqana     Nov     withdrawn
chf - Diyana (by Naaqoos)     Arqana     Oct     not sold
chf - Elusive Light (by Fantastic Light)     Arqana     Oct     not sold
bf – Exhibitor (by Royal Academy)     Osarus     Sept     €12,000
bc - Fongagain (by Dr Fong)     Arqana     Nov     €3,500
bc – Got Rized (by Authorized)     Osarus     Sept     €18,000
chc - Gotdream (by Loup Solitaire)     Arqana     Oct     €65,000
bc - Gulf Stream Lady (by Cadeaux Genereux)     Arqana     Oct     €12,000
bc – Hallen (by Midyan)     Osarus     Sept     not sold
chf - Iza Bere (by Shining Steel)     Arqana     Nov     €5,000
bf – La Barbacane (by Excellent Art)     Osarus     Sept     not sold
bf - Lady Weaseley (by Zieten)     Arqana     Nov     €5,500
chf – Lamora (by Sinndar)     Osarus     Sept     not sold
chc – Landa Vision (by Lando)     Osarus     Sept     not sold
bf - Lettre Intime (by Invincible Spirit)     Arqana     Nov     €9,000
bf – Lonestar Spirit (by Invincible Spirit)     Osarus     Sept     €22,000
chc – Louve Rouge (by Gold Away)     Osarus     Sept     €10,000
bf – Lovelot (by Manduro)     Osarus     Sept     not sold
bc – Marcela Howard (by Fasliyev)     Arqana     Aug     not sold
chc - Moon Tree (by Groom Dancer)     Arqana     Oct     not sold
chc – Nazila (by Polish Precedent)     Arqana     Aug     €50,000
bf - Perstrovka (by Sadler's Wells)     Arqana     Oct     €12,000
bf – Porza (by Septieme Ciel)     Osarus     Sept     €80,000
​bc - Queen Of Malta (by Exceed And Excel)     Osarus     Nov     €8,000
bf - Queen Of Wands (by Sakhee)     Arqana     Oct     not sold
bf - Salvia (by Septieme Ciel)     Arqana     Oct     €13,000
bc - Sharp's Love (by Fasliyev)     Arqana     Oct     €10,000
bf - Shawnee (by Dashing Blade)     Arqana     Oct     not sold
bf – Siro (by Grand Lodge)     Arqana     Aug     €20,000
bf - Sky Galaxy (by Sky Classic)     Arqana     Oct     €10,000
bf – Souanke (by Desert Style)     Arqana     Aug     not sold
bf – Tolie De Soie (by Peintre Celebre)     Osarus     Sept     ​€11,000
bc - Untilside (by Until Sundown)     Arqana     Oct     €15,000