L'Alezane (1975–1979) was a Canadian
Champion Thoroughbred racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
. The daughter of
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee
Dr. Fager
Dr. Fager (April 6, 1964 – August 5, 1976) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. In 1968 at the age of four, he became the only hors ...
, her dam, Northern Willow, was a daughter of breeder
E. P. Taylor's great international sire,
Northern Dancer.
L'Alezane was purchased as a yearling by prominent
Quebec businessman and major Thoroughbred racing stable owner,
Jean-Louis Levesque. Conditioned for racing by future
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
The H ...
trainer
Yonnie Starr, at age two L'Alezane followed a similar path as owner Levesque's U.S & Canadian Hall of Fame filly
La Prevoyante
La Prevoyante (1970–1974) was a Canadian-bred thoroughbred race horse elected to the Racing Halls of Fame in the United States and Canada.
Background
La Prevoyante was bred and owned by Jean-Louis Lévesque. Her sire was Buckpasser, a son ...
had undertaken three years earlier by competing in both Canada and the
United States. A winner of three important
stakes races
Stake may refer to:
Entertainment
* '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game
* ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film
* "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from ''Book of Dreams''
* ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netwo ...
in each country, L'Alezane's 1977 performances earned her the
Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Filly title, and joined La Prevoyante in being voted
Canadian Horse of the Year
The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing.
Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...
honors.
Much was expected of L'Alezane at age three but she did not achieve the results anticipated. Although she did win the
Selene Stakes
The Selene Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Held during the third week of May, the Grade III event is open to three-year-old fillies. Raced over a distance of miles on Polytrack ...
, she finished second in Canada's top race for three-year-old fillies, the
Woodbine Oaks, and was third in a field with
colt
Colt(s) or COLT may refer to:
*Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age
People
* Colt (given name)
*Colt (surname)
Places
*Colt, Arkansas, United States
*Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...
s in her country's most prestigious race, the
Queen's Plate.
L'Alezane returned to racing in 1979 but suffered an injury that led to the valuable future
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 ...
having to be
euthanized
Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...
.
References
{{reflist
L'Alezane's pedigree and partial racing statsHorse of the Year details at Woodbine Entertainment Group
1975 racehorse births
1979 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Canada
Racehorses trained in Canada
Canadian Thoroughbred Horse of the Year
Sovereign Award winners
Thoroughbred family 1-n