Gaily (23 April 1971 – after 1985) was an American-bred, British-trained

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 ...

. As a two-year-old in 1973 she failed to win but showed considerable promise in her two races. In the following year she won on her seasonal debut before recording her biggest success in the

Irish 1000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

. She went on to finish second in the

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it is s ...

and third in the

Prix Vermeille The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...

before being retired at the end of the season with a record of two wins and four places from nine starts. She went on to become a successful and influential broodmare whose descendants have included Pilsudski,

Creachadoir Creachadoir (foaled 8 February 2004) is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a specialist miler who won four of his fifteen races between May 2006 and March 2009. Originally trained in Ireland by Jim Bolger he showed promise wi ...

and

Landing Light Landing lights are lights, mounted on aircraft, that illuminate the terrain and runway ahead during takeoff and landing, as well as being used as a collision avoidance measure against other aircraft and bird strikes. Overview Almost all moder ...

Background

Gaily was a "well-made, attractive" brown mare with no white markings bred in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

by Warner L Jones of Hermitage Farm. 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 ...

she was offered for sale at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

and was bought for $120,000 by representatives of the British owner and breeder

Michael Sobell Sir Michael Sobell (1 November 1892 – 1 September 1993) was a British businessman, a major philanthropist, and a prominent owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. Family and childhood Sobel (from 1946, Sobell"Sobell, Sir Michael (1892– ...

. The filly was sent to race in Europe and entered training with

Dick Hern William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions. Following his early career ...

West Ilsley West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 Census was 332. Location and amenities It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury on the Berkshire Downs. The companion village ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, where she was a contemporary of the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's filly

Highclere Highclere (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the B ...

. She was sired by

Sir Gaylord Sir Gaylord (February 12, 1959 – 1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who later became a successful sire. Background He was bred and raced by Christopher Chenery. Sir Gaylord was sired by the British-bred, American-raced Turn-To out ...

, a half brother to

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...

and a successful racehorse and sire in his own right: his other offspring included

Sir Ivor Sir Ivor (May 5, 1965 – November 10, 1995) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in ...

and

Habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. Her dam Spearfish was a high-class racemare who won the

Hollywood Oaks The Summertime Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in June at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race on dirt at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles. ...

and the

Santa Susana Stakes Santa Anita Oaks is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies willing to race 8.5 furlongs ( miles) on the dirt. The race is a Grade II e ...

in 1966. She later became a very successful broodmare who also produced

King's Bishop King's Bishop (1969–1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background King's Bishop was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Warner L. Jones, Jr. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Round Table. He was out of the mare Sp ...

and

Empire Glory Empire Glory (foaled April 8, 1981) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was sold for a world record price as a yearling in 1982. He proved to be just short of top class in a brief racing career, winning the Royal Whip Stakes and finishing second i ...

Racing career

1973: two-year-old season

Gaily made her racecourse debut in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

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 ...

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...

in August, and finished second of the sixteen runners, beaten one and a half

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 ...

by the

Peter Walwyn Peter Tyndall Walwyn, (1 July 1933 – 7 December 2017) was a British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid-1970s when he was British flat racing Cham ...

-trained Heavenly Form. She was moved up in distance for the Green Shield Stakes over one mile at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

a month later and finished third to Escorial and Evening Venture after having some problems in obtaining a clear run.

1974: three-year-old season

Gaily recorded her first victory on her three-year-old debut, winning a nineteen-runner maiden over one mile at Ascot in April: it proved to be her last race in England. She was sent to Ireland and moved up in class for the Irish 1000 Guineas on soft ground at 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 ...

on 18 May. Ridden by the Australian jockey Ron Hutchinson she started the

11/5 11/5 was an American hip hop group from the Hunters Point section of San Francisco, California whose members were Maine-O, Hennessy and Taydatay, they were signed to Dogday Records, and were active from 1994 to 2001. Biography The Bay Area-ba ...

favourite ahead of her fellow British challenger Always Faithful who was partnered by

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...

. The best fancied of the other 15 runners included Silk Buds (winner of the

Park Stakes A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

and Silken Glider Stakes), Matuno God (Mulcahy Stakes), Northern Gem (

Fred Darling Stakes The Fred Darling Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs () at Newbury in April. History The eve ...

), Lady Rowe and Perfect Aim. Gaily took the lead at half way, went clear of the field and won easily by one and a half lengths from Northern Gem. Gaily failed to win her in her five remaining races but ran well in some top-class races. In the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...

over 2000 metres at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main hors ...

on 14 June she started a 25/1 outsider and finished seventh of the 22 runners behind her stablemate

, who won from

Comtesse de Loir Comtesse de Loir (1971 – after 1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In her three-year racing career, she won only one important race, the Prix Saint-Alary in 1974. but was placed in numerous major events including the ...

. She then returned to the Curragh for the

over one and a half miles on 20 July and finished second to

Dibidale Dibidale (6 April 1971 – 20 August 1975) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After one minor win in two races as a two-year-old, she emerged as arguably the best filly of her generation in the following year. She won th ...

with

Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

in third. In the

Prix de la Nonette The Prix de la Nonette is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 1 September she came home sixth behind

Paulista Paulista is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a population of 334,376 as of 2020. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) of the Recife metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of footballer Rivaldo and is also famous for its beac ...

when conceding weight to her eleven opponents. Three weeks later at the same track she started a 35/1 outsider in the

but belied her odds as she finished third of the fifteen runners behind Paulista and Comtesse de Loir. On her final appearance she was unplaced behind Cheryl in the

Prix de l'Opéra The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it ...

at Longchamp on 6 October.

Assessment

In 1973he independent Timeform organisation gave the Gaily a rating of 103, 22 pounds behind their best two-year-old filly

Melchbourne Melchbourne is a small village located in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. The village is located west of Swineshead, Bedfordshire, Swineshead and east of Yielden. Melchbourne forms part of the Melchbourne and Yielden civil par ...

. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1973'' they described her as "sure to win a race" and likely to stay ten furlongs. In the following year Timeform described her as "tough, genuine and consistent" and gave her a rating of 121, ten pounds behind their top three-year-old filly Comtesse de Loir.

Breeding record

Gaily was retired from racing to become a broodmare for her owner's

Ballymacoll Stud Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles (6 km) from the town of Maynooth. Under th ...

. She produced at least nine foals between 1976 and 1986: *Clean Slate, a bay colt, foaled in 1976, sired by

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

*Gay Milly, bay filly, 1977, by

Mill Reef Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

. Won one race, female-line ancestor of Pilsudski,

and Fine Motion (

Shuka Sho Shuka ( sa, शुक , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture ''Bhagavata Purana''. Most of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' consists of Shuka reciting the story to the k ...

). *Hard To Say, bay colt, 1978, by

Lyphard Lyphard (10 May 1969 – 10 June 2005) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and an important sire. Background American bred in Pennsylvania, Lyphard was a son of Northern Dancer out of the mare Goofed. He was auctioned ...

*Glad Tidings, brown filly, 1979, by

Pharly Pharly (22 April 1974 – 10 November 2002) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won five of his thirteen races, finished second five times and third once and was rated among the best colts of his generation in France at two and ...

. Won two races. *Laughing Boy, bay colt, 1980, by

Riverman Riverman (1969–1999) was a French Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Background Foaled in Kentucky, Riverman was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family. Riverman was from the mare (horse), mare River Lady ...

*Gay Hellene, bay filly, 1982, by

Ela-Mana-Mou Ela-Mana-Mou (1976–2008) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1978 until October 1980, he ran sixteen times and won ten races. He was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1978, when he defeated T ...

. Won three races including

Prix de Flore The Prix de Flore is a French literary prize founded in 1994 by Frédéric Beigbeder. The aim of the prize is to reward youthful authors and is judged by a panel of journalists. It is awarded yearly in November, at the Café de Flore in Paris. The ...

dam of

. *Gay Fantastic, bay filly, 1983, by Ela-Mana-Mou. Dam of Cape Tribulation (

Cotswold Chase The Cotswold Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

) and Moon Solitaire (

King Edward Stakes The King Edward Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The Grade II turf race is open to horses aged three and older and is raced over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs). Run in late J ...

). *Grecian Girl, brown filly, 1985, by Ela-Mana-Mou *Glad Man, bay colt, 1986, by Ela-Mana-Mou

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1971 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 11 Irish Classic Race winners