Gonzales (USA)
January 27, 1977 – c. 1996
Vaguely Noble (IRE) x Gazala II (FR), by Dark Star (USA)
Family 8-a
January 27, 1977 – c. 1996
Vaguely Noble (IRE) x Gazala II (FR), by Dark Star (USA)
Family 8-a
Gonzales was the last of Gazala II’s three Group 1-winning sons and the only one of the trio not to win a championship. Although he did become a Classic winner in Ireland, he never showed the same level of ability or turn of foot that characterized his full brother Mississipian or his half brother Youth and was unable to transfer his Irish form to the United States at 4 and 5. He was a stud failure in both the United States and Germany.
Race record
10 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 2 thirds, USA$104,236 (including converted European earnings)
1980:
Assessments
Rated at 120 pounds by Timeform as a 3-year-old, 15 pounds behind Europe’s top stayer, Le Moss (a 5-year-old), and 17 pounds behind Europe’s top-rated runner, the crack sprinter Moorestyle (a 3-year-old).
As an individual
A good-sized, rangy bay horse, Gonzales was a strong galloper but lacked brilliance. He did not race at 2.
As a stallion
According to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Gonzales sired 68 winners (34.9%) and 1 stakes winner (0.5%) from 195 named foals.
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Gonzales was bred by Nelson Bunker Hunt. A US$750,000 yearling from the 1978 Keeneland July sale, he was owned by Robert Sangster. He was trained by Vincent O’Brien and was ridden to his Irish St. Leger triumph by Raymond Carroll. At 4, he was transferred to the United States, where he was trained by Charlie Whittingham. Retired to stud in Kentucky in 1983, he was exported to Germany in 1991.
Pedigree notes
Gonzales is outcrossed through five generations. He is a full brother to 1973 French champion 2-year-old male Mississipian and to Expediency, dam of Group 3 winners Bin Shaddad (by Riverman) and Oh So Risky (by Kris; also a stakes winner over jumps) and second dam of multiple Grade/Group 1 winner Hard Buck. Mississipian is also a half brother to 1976 French champion 3-year-old male and American champion turf horse Youth (by Ack Ack), to 1981 Prix de Guiche (FR-G3) winner Silky Baby (by What a Pleasure), and to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Best of Both (by J. O. Tobin).
Gonzales and his siblings were produced from 1967 French champion 3-year-old filly Gazala II, the 1976 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, whose half sister Kamakura II (by Faristan) is the dam of multiple minor stakes winner Kam Tam Kan (by Tentam). The sisters, in turn, are out of Belle Angevine (by the good French stakes winner L’Amiral), a winning half sister to 1956 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Burgos (by Maurepas) and 1959 Bowling Green Handicap winner Bell Hop (by Sunny Boy). Belle Angevine is also a half sister to Bellicosa (by Buisson d’Or), dam of Italian stakes winner Belmino (by Mincio).
Belle Angevine and her siblings were produced from Bella II (by the good French stakes winner Canot). The next dam in Gonzales’s tail-female line, Bayan Kara (by the important French-based sire Dark Legend), is a half sister to 1931 Grand Prix de Paris winner Barneveldt (by The Winter King).
Last updated: January 1, 2022
Race record
10 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 2 thirds, USA$104,236 (including converted European earnings)
1980:
- Won Irish St. Leger (IRE-G1, 14FT, The Curragh)
- Won Blandford Stakes (IRE-G2, 12FT, The Curragh)
- Won Gallinule Stakes (IRE-G2, 12FT, The Curragh)
Assessments
Rated at 120 pounds by Timeform as a 3-year-old, 15 pounds behind Europe’s top stayer, Le Moss (a 5-year-old), and 17 pounds behind Europe’s top-rated runner, the crack sprinter Moorestyle (a 3-year-old).
As an individual
A good-sized, rangy bay horse, Gonzales was a strong galloper but lacked brilliance. He did not race at 2.
As a stallion
According to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club, Gonzales sired 68 winners (34.9%) and 1 stakes winner (0.5%) from 195 named foals.
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Gonzales was bred by Nelson Bunker Hunt. A US$750,000 yearling from the 1978 Keeneland July sale, he was owned by Robert Sangster. He was trained by Vincent O’Brien and was ridden to his Irish St. Leger triumph by Raymond Carroll. At 4, he was transferred to the United States, where he was trained by Charlie Whittingham. Retired to stud in Kentucky in 1983, he was exported to Germany in 1991.
Pedigree notes
Gonzales is outcrossed through five generations. He is a full brother to 1973 French champion 2-year-old male Mississipian and to Expediency, dam of Group 3 winners Bin Shaddad (by Riverman) and Oh So Risky (by Kris; also a stakes winner over jumps) and second dam of multiple Grade/Group 1 winner Hard Buck. Mississipian is also a half brother to 1976 French champion 3-year-old male and American champion turf horse Youth (by Ack Ack), to 1981 Prix de Guiche (FR-G3) winner Silky Baby (by What a Pleasure), and to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Best of Both (by J. O. Tobin).
Gonzales and his siblings were produced from 1967 French champion 3-year-old filly Gazala II, the 1976 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, whose half sister Kamakura II (by Faristan) is the dam of multiple minor stakes winner Kam Tam Kan (by Tentam). The sisters, in turn, are out of Belle Angevine (by the good French stakes winner L’Amiral), a winning half sister to 1956 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Burgos (by Maurepas) and 1959 Bowling Green Handicap winner Bell Hop (by Sunny Boy). Belle Angevine is also a half sister to Bellicosa (by Buisson d’Or), dam of Italian stakes winner Belmino (by Mincio).
Belle Angevine and her siblings were produced from Bella II (by the good French stakes winner Canot). The next dam in Gonzales’s tail-female line, Bayan Kara (by the important French-based sire Dark Legend), is a half sister to 1931 Grand Prix de Paris winner Barneveldt (by The Winter King).
Last updated: January 1, 2022