Show Gate

Show Gate is a New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame champion thoroughbred racehorse sired by Gatekeeper out of Minglow, a Eulogy mare.[1]

Show Gate
SireGatekeeper (GB)
GrandsireAlcide (GB)
DamMinglow (NZ)
DamsireGlobe of Light (GB)
SexMare
Foaled1969
CountryNew Zealand
ColourBay
BreederGordon Thomson, Mosgiel
OwnerGordon Thomson
TrainerGordon Thomson
Record51:30-7-2
Earnings$104,167
Major wins
Awapuni Gold Cup (1974)
Trentham Stakes (1977)
Honours
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
New Zealand Horse of the Year 1975, 1977.
Last updated on April 3, 2009

Foaled in 1969, she was horse of the year in 1975 and 1977 and won races from 1200 metres up to 2400 metres in record time. She started in 51 races, winning 30, and was second 7 times, third twice and unplaced in 12 races.

Show Gate was owned, bred and trained by Gordon Thomson of Mosgiel, Dunedin.

Racing career

A mare with an ability to carry big weights over all distances in record times, legendary New Zealand jockey Bob Skelton was quoted to say "She's A Machine" and the "Equal of modern day Hall of Fame mare Sunline"

She won the Stewards, Canterbury Gold Cup and the Churchill Stakes over 1200m, 2000m and 1600m respectively over 7 days at the Canterbury Show week meetings at Riccarton Park. She went on to capture all three twice during her career.

Show Gate suffered a fractured sesamoid bone in the spring of 1974 after winning her first five races as a five-year-old.

She returned to racing as a seven-year-old, winning 7 of her 13 starts, and ran a very unlucky second to Good Lord in the 1977 Wellington Cup over 3200m. Two days later she broke the NZ record over 2400m, 2:26.1 with the top weight of 57 kg on three legs, as she had again gone amiss 1000m from home, her last race. Many fine judges have Show Gate as one of the best mares ever to race in New Zealand.[2]

Racing career

Notable performances include:[3]

Date Placing Race 1st 2nd 3rd
23 April 19731stGreat Easter Handicap (1400m, Riccarton)Show GateLady MellayAnnenic
3 November 19731stStewards Handicap (1200m, Riccarton)Show GateShardaKalmia
10 November 19731stChurchill Stakes (1600m, Riccarton)Show GateZarniaKaukapakapa
19 January 19741stTelegraph Handicap (1200m, Trentham)Show GateSharifThat’s Luck
9 March 19741stNorth Island Challenge Stakes (1400m)Show GateCount KereruDee Light
12 March 19742ndPort Nicholson Stakes (2000m WFA)Furys OrderShow Gate
6 April 19741stAwapuni Gold Cup (2000m)Show GateJackarooSweet Offer
23 September 19741stSouth Island Thoroughbred Stakes (1400m, Geraldine)Show Gate
9 November 19741stStewards HandicapShow GateSoliloquyParatonnerre
13 November 19741stCanterbury Gold Cup (2000m)Show GateSobeitGuest Star
16 November 1974 (1)1stChurchill StakesShow GateAuditorHarrisand
18 September 1976 (2)unplacedTheo Marks Quality Handicap (Sydney)Ease The SqueezeEclipserCrimson Cloud
6 November 19762ndStewards HandicapGrey WayShow GateThe Swagger
10 November 19761stCanterbury Gold CupShow GateSilver LadMayo Mellay
13 November 19762ndChurchill Stakes (1600m, Riccarton)Tonic TimeShow Gate
11 December 19761stThames Valley Stakes (1600m, Te Aroha)Show Gate
15 December 19762ndAvondale Cup (2200m)Paul De BrettShow Gate
27 December 19761stDunedin Gold Cup (2400m)Show Gate 60.5CapelloDeep Mystery
28 December 19761stTimaru Gold Cup (1600m)Show GateMhorlightSoldier Girl
22 January 19772ndWellington Cup (3200m)Good Lord 52.5Show Gate 57Our Countess
29 January 19771stTrentham Stakes (2400m)Show Gate
  • (1) After the Churchill Stakes in November 1974 Show Gate did not race again until August 1976 due to a cracked sesamoid bone.
  • (2) This was Show Gate's only Australian race.

Breeding and progeny

Show Gate only produced three foals. Two were colts by Honey Crepe (GB): Sporting Show and Every Show. Later a filly, Show Queen by Balmerino.

Sporting Show won 10 races from 56 starts while Every Show won 11 races from 26 starts. Both raced in the South Island and later served as sires.

Show Queen produced a daughter Showella (by Lord Ballina) who won six races.[4] Her wins included the Group One 2000 New Zealand Stakes and the Group One 1999 South Australian Derby, as well as being group one placed twice. She was the Champion Older horse in New Zealand in 1999-2000.[5]

Showella's first foal Safwa, a filly by Danehill, was sold to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoumm for $800,000 and went on to win five races in Australia. This included two listed races, the 2007 Japan Racing Association Plate (2000m, Randwick) and the 2007 De Bortoli Wines Epona Stakes (1900m, Rosehill).[6]

Show Gate's great-grandson, Showcause (Giant’s Causeway – Showella)[7] was runner up in the Group One 2011 Auckland Cup and won the Group One 2011 Avondale Cup as well as the City of Auckland Cup (Group 2) and 2010 New Zealand Cup (Group 3). He was the champion stayer in New Zealand 2010-11.[8] In Australia he was placed 4th in the 2011 Geelong Cup behind Dunaden and 3rd in the 2011 The Bart Cummings behind Mourayan.

Show Gate died in 1988 at Prebbleton Farm, Canterbury from complications of spleen cancer.

See also

References
  1. "Show Gate (NZ) 1969 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ".
  2. "Greatest moments in Otago sport - Number 117". 3 July 2011.
  3. The Great Decade of New Zealand racing 1970-1980. Glengarry, Jack. William Collins Publishers Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand.
  4. "Showella (NZ) 1995 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ".
  5. "La Diosa and breeder Terry Archer".
  6. https://www.racing.com/horses/safwa-2002
  7. "Showcause (AUS) 2005 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ".
  8. "Showcause gives rise in New Zealand Cup > Australia and International Horse Racing news updated daily".


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