Gayle Gal (26 April 1983 – after 1997) was an Irish

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. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. She produced her best form as a two-year-old in 1985, when she was unbeaten in three races including the

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

Moyglare Stud Stakes The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled ...

, and was rated the best of her age and sex in Ireland. She failed to win in 1986 and was retired from racing at the end of the year. As a broodmare he produced two minor races but no top-class performers.

Background

Gayle Gal was a chestnut mare with a white blaze and a long white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her left hind leg, bred in Ireland by Miss E Anderson. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

in 1984 she was offered for sale at Goffs and was bought for a "bargain" price of 4,200

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

. She entered the ownership of Mr W A L Finnigan and was sent into training with Phil Canty in Ireland. She was sired by Lord Gayle, an American-bred stallion who won the

Prix Perth The Prix Perth is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to tak ...

in 1970. Lord Gayle's other winning progeny included

Blue Wind Blue Wind (3 May 1978 – 21 June 1996) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1981. She showed promising form as a two-year-old in 1980 when she won two of her five races includ ...

Carroll House Carroll House (5 March 1985 – 8 February 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from September 1987 until July 1990 he raced twenty times in six countries and won seven races. ...

, Desirable, Gay Lemur (

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on t ...

) and the leading

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

Pollardstown. Gayle Gal's dam Best Girl won over nine furlongs and was a granddaughter of Garrucha, whose other descendants have included Lake Coniston.

Racing career

1985: two-year-old season

Gayle Gal began her track career in August in a minor event over six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

for which she started a 20/1 outsider but upset the odds by winning from Welsh Fantasy (later to win the

Gallinule Stakes The Gallinule Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and it is schedu ...

) and nine others. Two weeks later the filly contested the Oldtown Stud Stakes over the same course and distance in which he faced nine rivals including Sherkraine who had finished third behind

Roaring Riva Roaring Riva (21 February 1983 – after 1998) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He raced in at least four countries and won four of his seventeen races. A specialist sprinter, he showed his best form as a two-year ...

and So Directed in the

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

. She took the lead two furlongs out and stayed on well to come home three

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

clear of Sherkraine. On 14 September Gayle Gal, ridden by the apprentice jockey Donal Manning, was moved up in class to contest the

Moyglare Stud Stakes the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

and started the 5/2 favourite against fourteen opponents. The best of the other runners, according to the betting market, were Alpine Swift, Special Thanks, Gaily Gaily, Flyaway Bride, Classic Style and So Directed. With no previous Group race winners involved, the field seemed to be a sub-standard one. After tracking the front-running Flyaway Bride, Gayle Gal moved up to take the lead approaching the last quarter mile and held off the challenge of the outsider Carhue Lady to win by a length. The filly was expected to end her season with a trip to England for the

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...

but was withdrawn from the race when a blood test revealed an abnormally high

white cell count A complete blood count (CBC), also known as a full blood count (FBC), is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and pl ...

. In the official International Classification of European two-year-olds for 1985, Gayle Gal was given a rating of 72, making her the best Irish-trained female, eight pounds inferior to the French-trained Baiser Vole, who was the highest-rated juvenile filly. The independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

organisation awarded her a rating of 100p (the "p" indicating that she was expected to make more than usual progress), fourteen pounds behind their best two-year-old filly Femme Elite. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1985'' Timeform commented "If she can produce the speed she possesses when raced over middle distances, she could be in for a successful time as a three-year-old".

1986: three-year-old season

Gayle Gal remained in training as a three-year-old but failed to make any impact in two starts. The only major race she contested was the Phoenix Champion Stakes over ten furlongs at Phoenix Park on 7 September. Ridden by Manning, she started a 33/1 outsider and came home last of the thirteen runners behind

Park Express Park Express (25 March 1983 – 2006) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1985, before developing into a top-class middle-distance performer in the following season. Racing against hors ...

Breeding record

After the end of her racing career, Gayle became a broodmare for the Irish breeder D H W Dobson. She produced at least six foals and two winners: *Nordic Glare, a bay colt, foaled in 1990, sired by Nordico. Failed to win in eight races. *Eileenog, bay filly, 1991, by

Kahyasi Kahyasi (2 April 1985 – 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He won the first five races of his seven-race career, including the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby as a three-year-old in 1988. Backg ...

. Failed in five races. *Celladonia, bay colt, 1992, by

Green Desert ''Green Desert'' is the twenty-seventh major release and the fifteenth studio album by electronic artists Tangerine Dream. The music was recorded in Berlin in 1973, during a period when Peter Baumann had temporarily left Germany to tour Nepal an ...

. Won five races. *Canadian Project, chestnut filly, 1993, by Project Manager. Won one race. *Gaelic Project, bay filly, 1996, by Project Manager. Failed to win in five races. *Palacio, chestnut colt (later

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

), 1997, by Erin's Isle. Failed to win in seventeen races.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1983 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 5-d