The first year of this decade was of special note for Thoroughbreds in North America. Hollywood Park was the site of the very first Breeders’ Cup, John Henry was the first Thoroughbred to win $6 million and the 110th Kentucky Derby was won by Swale.
The movie Back to the Future was released in 1985, Coca-Cola changed its secret formula and then quickly brought the 99 year old recipe back a few months later and ROAD TO PONDER was on the track at Woodbine for the beginning of a four year racing career. Mainly racing out of Alberta, this chestnut horse had lifetime earnings of $268,881.
The World Wide Web is first launched in the public domain in 1989 by CERN scientist, Tim Berners-Lee. Multiple stakes winner, JUST JEFF began racing at Northlands Park and American jockey, Steven Cauthen became the first rider in history to sweep the world’s four major derbies (Kentucky, Epsom, French and Irish). JUST JEFF was bred and owned by The Other Farm and trained by George E. Goodman and had lifetime career earnings of $271,580.
After 40,350 horse races, jockey Bill Shoemaker retired, TV saw the premier of Law and Order, and the world’s first website and server went live at CERN and multiple stakes winners, ARCTIC LAUR and LADY ALTA both started their racing careers at Northlands Park in 1990. Bred by Berkar Holdings Ltd. and Floyd Street, LADY ALTA was sired by the previous decades’ KY ALTA and over her six year career had 57 starts, 18 wins, 10 seconds and 11 thirds with lifetime career earnings of $362,215. She retired from the track and went on to be a broodmare.
1989 CTHS Sales Graduate ARCTIC LAUR or Hip # 45 as he was known back then, bred by Mike Oslanski and Jack Benders, consigned by Milin Farms and bought by D.K. Robins for $7,558. With lifetime earnings of $634,809, ARCTIC LAUR is the top earning horse in this decade and won the Western Handicap three times and the Spangled Jimmy twice. The UN Security council authorized military action against Iraq on the same day ARCTIC LAUR won the 1990 CTHS Yearling Sales Stake.
The 274th and final episode of CHEERS aired on NBC in 1993, Susan Lucci lost for the 14th time at the 20th Daytime Emmy Awards, the World Wide Web source code was released by CERN, making the software freely available to all and trainer Ron Smith was racing TWO TICKY at Northlands Park. Multiple stakes winner, TWO TICKY went on to have lifetime earnings of $465,593 with 77 starts, 19 wins, 16 seconds and 7 thirds.
Also racing during this decade; 1989-MAJESTIC HORIZON (Lifetime earnings of $451,615), 1990-FARAWAY ECHO (Lifetime earnings of $344,763), 1992-EMOTIONAL FREDDIE (Lifetime earnings of $333,500), 1990-DANDY DUNDEE (Lifetime earnings of $289,465) and 1990-BRIARTIC ROMANCE (Lifetime earnings of $278,490).
*Disclaimer- Horses for each decade were chosen for that decade based on the first year they raced and ranked according to lifetime earnings. It is possible that depending on how they are viewed they may fit into more than one decade. We leave it to the “People” to decide which decade they feel these Alberta bred horses best fit.
