Most recently, mares have been all but shut out of the winner's circle in the Five Gaited World's Championship class. However, there was a stretch of time when mares dominated that class. After WGC CH Wing Commander's record setting six straight years as the winner, the mares of the 1950's and 1960's' were in command. Even the Reserve WGC's in that time period were often mares. They came in all shapes and sizes, from blonde to brown, petite to powerful, and animated to ethereal.
WGC RWGC
- 1954 Lady Carrigan Stonewall's Duke of Dixie G
- 1955 Lady Carrigan Socko G
- 1956 Dream Waltz Gallant Guy O'Goshen S
- 1957 Lady Carrigan Garrymore G
- 1958 Lady Carrigan Enchanted Hour M
- 1959 Plainview's Julia Afire G
- 1960 Plainview's Julia Glamorous Lucretia M
- 1961 Denmark's Daydream Plainview's Julia M
- 1962 Denmark's Daydream Plainview's Julia M
- 1963 My My Broadland's Captain Denmark S
- 1964 My My Star of the Show M
- 1965 My My Contract's Beau Le Rose G
- 1966 My My Star of the Show M
- 1967 My My Star of the Show M
- 1968 My My Glory Kalarama G
- 1969 Valerie Emerald Hayfield's Bold Knight S
Here are the nine noted mares from that 15 year period and a little bit about them.
WGC CH Lady Carrigan, foaled in 1948, Society Rex X CH Mountain Raven BHF
Garland Bradshaw's little brown mare won the WGC title four times. Lady Carrigan only
produced one foal, Raven Wing, whose sire was WGC CH Wing Commander. Raven Wing
was very prolific, producing 11 foals including CH Carrigan's Gift who was the dam of
Mia Carrissima, dam of 4 time WGC Wild Carrisima.
WGC CH Dream Waltz BHF, foaled 1950, RWC Anacacho Shamrock X Flirtation Walk BHF
This full sister to WGC CH Wing Commander interrupted Lady Carrigan's win streak in 1956.
After her show career ended, Dream Waltz became a stellar broodmare and made it to
the Broodmare Hall of Fame. Among others, she produced breeding stallions Waltz King and
Supreme Spirit. Her daughter Dream Awhile produced CH Star Waltz, and her daughter
Dream Waltz Supreme was dam of Dream A Dream BHF, and 2nd dam of a trio of BHF mares,
Man What A Dream, A Daydream Believer, and I Am The Dream.
WGC CH Plainview's Julia BHF foaled in 1952, sired by Genius of Kentucky
and out of Sweetheart of Plainview BHF. She was perhaps the most consistent of all
these mares in terms of success in the showroom and as a producer. Bred and owned her entire lifetime by RC Tway of Plainview Farm, she won her first World's Champion title in the 3 year old Five Gaited division. The following year, she won the Junior title, and in 1959 and 1960, she was crowned World's Grand Champion. She fell short in 1961 and 1962 to WGC Denmark's Daydream. After her show days were over, she produced 8 foals including the Wing Commander son's Pride of Plainview and Plainview's Comander.
WGC CH Denmark's Daydream was known simply as Daydream, a name which
suited her well. Foaled in 1953, she was by the top sire Anacacho Denmark and out of
a King's Genius daughter. True to her bloodlines, she was noted for her beauty, but she had
the stamina and power to campaign at half a dozen or more top shows each year. She produced
one colt, a gelding, prior to her career as a show mare and unfortunately passed away shortly
after her WGC title in 1962. It's hard to say what would have happened if she had been
alive to face the challenge of My My in 1963.
WGC CH My My was foaled in 1957, daughter of Beau Fortune and
her World's Grand Champion dam, CH Daneshall's Easter Parade. Both these mares
were shown to their wins by Frank Bradshaw. My My was known for her powerful
performances which were somewhat unpredictable as a youngster, but became sheer
brilliance as she matured. In the 6 years while she was the reigning WGC, she took on all
challengers in more than fifty classes and defeated them all. She was lost to the Saddlebred
world less than a month after earning her sixth title, and without ever producing a colt.
WGC CH Valerie Emerald was sired by WGC Wing Commander and
out of a Beau Fortune mare. Bred, trained and shown by Frank Bradshaw, she
won her title in 1969, having previously won a World's Championship as a Ladies
Five Gaited Champion for Valerie Knowlton, daughter of Valerie Emerald's owners.
She is yet another winning mare that never produced an offspring.
RWGC Enchanted Hour foaled in 1950 and may have inherited her
good looks from her breathtaking sire, Conowingo, or perhaps from her dam
Gorgeous Huldy BHF. Although she never won the WGC title, she was reserve to
Lady Carrigan in 1958 for her owner Jean McLean Davis. After her show career was complete, '
she produced CH My Starlight Hour who in turn produced RWC CH The Talk of the Town,
who sired CH WGC Breaking News.
RWGC CH Glamorous Lucretia was sired by CH Anacacho Shamrock
and out of a daughter of Royal Kalarama. Foaled in 1954, she was a
consistent performer, earning third place in the WGC championship
class in 1959 and 1961. Her best performance came in 1960 when she was
Reserve World's Grand Champion to WGC Plainview's Julia.
RWGC CH Star of the Show was bred to be a winner,
sired by CH Anacacho Shamrock and out of WC My Show Boat.
She was bred by Dodge Stables and was a part of the 1959 foal crop.
She was a three time Reserve to WGC My My at the Kentucky State Fair.
Tragically, she was another mare who died during the height of her career,
and before she could produce any colts. She passed in the fall of 1967,
just a year before My My was lost, and only five years after
the passing of Daydream.
So who broke the mare stronghold on the WGC crown? None other than WGC CH Yorktown, son
of WGC CH Wing Commander whose final title win in 1953 marked the beginning of mare dominance.
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