Norcliffe (1973–1984) was a Canadian

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

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 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 ...

. He was sired by U.S. Hall of Fame Champion

Buckpasser Buckpasser (1963–1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1966 Horse of the Year. His other achievements include 1965 Champion Two-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Three-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Handicap Horse, and 1967 Champi ...

out of the mare Drama School by

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

. Owned by the Norcliffe Stable of Charles F. Baker, Chairman of the Board of the

Ontario Jockey Club Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), known as the Ontario Jockey Club from 1881 to 2001, is the operator of two horse racing tracks, a casino and off-track betting stations in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It also owns and operates ...

, Norcliffe was trained by

Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield (born 28 November 1939 in Newbury, Berkshire, England) is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner and an inductee of both the Canadian and United States horseracing Halls of Fame. In his native England, Attfield had ...

. Ridden by jockey

Jeffrey Fell Jeffrey J. Fell (born June 20, 1956, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) is a retired jockey and a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was also a successful rider in the United States. On June 17, 1978, Jeffrey Fell rode Tiller to victory i ...

, Norcliffe won two of the first three legs of the 1976 Canadian Triple Crown races on dirt at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

, capturing the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

and the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

. The

Breeders' Stakes The Breeders' Stakes is a stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses foaled in Canada, first run in 1889. Since 1959, it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Held annually in August at Woodbine Racetrack in To ...

, the final leg, is a race run on the

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course at

Fort Erie Race Track Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. ...

and Norcliffe finished fifth. Norcliffe earned 1976 Horse of the Year honours in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1977 he earned a

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 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 Y ...

as top older horse and was elected to the

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 ...

in 2005.

As a sire

Retired to

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at the end of the 1977 racing season, Norcliffe was North America's leading juvenile sire by number of wins and second in earnings in 1981. He sired

Groovy ''Groovy'' (or, less commonly, ''groovie'' or ''groovey'') is a slang colloquialism popular during the 1950s, '60s and '70s. It is roughly synonymous with words such as "excellent", "fashionable", or "amazing", depending on context. History The ...

who was voted the 1987

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

for

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

and who was a Texas State Champion twice. Another successful son of Norcliffe was

At the Threshold AT or at may refer to: Geography Austria * Austria (ISO 2-letter country code) * .at, Internet country code top-level domain United States * Atchison County, Kansas (county code) * The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), a 2,180+ mile long mountaino ...

, a 1981 foal out of the mare Winver. She was a daughter of Vertex, a multiple winner of top level stakes and the sire of 1965 Kentucky Derby winner

Lucky Debonair Lucky Debonair (May 2, 1962 – July 10, 1987) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby. Background He was bred by owners Dan and Ada Rice of Wheaton, Illinois at their Danada Farm satellite operation ...

and 1968 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt,

Top Knight Top Knight (April 2, 1966 – 199?) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Florida. Background Top Knight was a chestnut horse owned and bred by Floridian sportsman Steven B. Wilson, trained by Ray Metcalf and named 2 Year Old ...

. At the Threshold's wins include the Grade 1

American Derby The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and rac ...

and

Arlington Classic Stakes The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago. History The ev ...

, the Grade 2

Ohio Derby The Ohio Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-to-late June at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. The Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 1 miles. The race currently offers a purs ...

and he ran third in the

1984 Kentucky Derby The 1984 Kentucky Derby was the 110th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 5, 1984, with 126,453 people in attendance. The race was won by Swale, who went on to finish out of the money in the Preakness, then won the Belmont ...

. He also was the sire of

1992 Kentucky Derby The 1992 Kentucky Derby was the 118th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 2, 1992. There were 132,543 in attendance. The eighth-place finish of odds-on favorite Arazi was the worst finish of an odds-on betting favorite in Der ...

winner

Lil E. Tee Lil E. Tee (March 29, 1989 – March 18, 2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Background A bay colt, Lil E. Tee was bred in Pennsylvania by Lawr ...

.Kentucky Derby History, 1992
/ref>

Pedigree

References

{{reflist

External links

Norcliffe's pedigree and partial racing stats
1973 racehorse births 1984 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada King's Plate winners Sovereign Award winners Canadian Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Thoroughbred family 10-d