W – #2 – All Along – horseracing20thcentury99.com

Top Ten Turf Females Twentieth Century

#2

All Along

(1981 - 1984)

French-bred All Along at Woodbine after winning the 1983 Rothman’s International over Thuner Puddles and Erin’s Isle.

Photo: M.J. Sibbertt

PEDIGREE

Bay F

OWNER

Daniel Wildenstein

TRAINER

Patrick Biancone

BREEDER

Daniel Wildenstein

Some Facts

All Along was foaled in 1979 at Daniel Wildenstein’s Dayton Stud in France and later raced under Mr. Wildenstein’s name from 1981 until she retired following her second-place finish in the twelve-furlong Breeders’ Cup Turf in 1984. She was trained throughout her career by Patrick Biancone, who also trained Mr. Wildenstein’s Arc winner and French champion Sagace.
All Along’s sire was Targowice, an American-bred but French-raced son of Round Table who won four stakes in France, including two group threes, the Prix Thomas Bryon and the Prix Eclipse, both considered key races in his being voted French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt that year.
Targowice’s dam, Matriarch (1964 by Bold Ruler – Lyceum), when bred to Le Fabuleaux, produced Dona Ysidra who in turn produced 1986 Breeders Cup Turf Champion and 1986 Champion Turf Horse Manila, as well as Stately Don, which in 1987 won the G1 Secretariat Stakes and the G1 Hollywood Derby, both those races on turf.
All Along’s dam, Aqujita (by Coastal Traffic GB x Prosodie FR), won the minor Prix de Royaumont in 1969. She would produce ten foals in her sixteen years at stud, with All Along being the most successful.
All Along ran in seven group one races in France and England leading up to the 1983 Arc de la Triomphe, and she won only one of them – the twelve-furlong Prix Vermeille against three-year-old fillies. Included in these seven group one races was a sixth-place finish in the 1982 English Oaks at Epsom Downs and a fifteenth-place finish in the 1982 Arc de la Triomphe to Akiyda. Following the Arc, All Along made her first start internationally when she finished second by a neck to American Bertram Firestone’s Half Iced in the Japan Cup in a thrilling three-way photo in which April Run was a neck further back in third. This race closed out her 1982 season.
In 1983, All Along had what I consider to be a magical season, one that started out slowly but gained momentum throughout so that by year’s end, she was considered a super filly. It began with a third-place finish in the twelve-furlong La Coupe Stakes at Chantilly in June, a group three event against males and her first race since her close second-place finish in the Japan Cup the previous November. In this one, she finished 2 ¾ lengths behind super tough filly Zalataia, a daughter of French group one winning stallion Dictus. Later that year, Zalataia was shipped to America, where she finished second to John Henry in the G1 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes, then defeated John in the G1 Oak Tree International, a race in which top-rated Load the Cannons finished third. After a distant seventh place finish in the group one Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud to champion Diamond Shoal in July (Zatalaia finished third), All Along next ran in the twelve-furlong St. Foy, a group three race at Longchamp and finished a fast closing second to the three-time champion filly Time Charter, beaten just three-quarters of a length. This race convinced owner Daniel Wildenstein and trainer Patrick Biancone that she could be competitive in the Arc.
In the 1983 Arc de la Triomphe, twenty-six horses lined up behind the barrier on a firm turf course at the fabled Longchamp Course in Paris, France. This was considered an all-star field and included Sun Princess, in 1983, a three-time group one winner of the Yorkshire Oaks, Epsom Oaks, and the classic St. Leger Stakes over Esprit du Nord. All Along came from mid-pack with a good burst of speed to defeat Sun Princess by a length in 2:28.
With the important Arc victory now included in her resume, All Along then began an incredible forty-one-day journey that would be unheard of by today’s standards and would probably draw attention from PETA. Considered at the top of her game, the ultra-tough filly then shipped across the Atlantic and just 14 days after the Arc, was entered in Canada’s G1 Rothman’s International at Woodbine, a 1 5/8-mile race run on October 16^th. She was an authoritative two-length winner as the 8-5 favorite over grade two stakes winner Thunder Puddles, with the 1983 Man o’ War and Sword Dancer winner Majesty’s Prince finishing third and the defending Japan Cup winner, Half Iced, finishing unplaced.
Just thirteen days later, All Along was in New York to run in the twelve-furlong Turf Classic that year held at Aqueduct. Off as the odds-on 4-5 favorite, she defeated Thunder Puddles decisively, scoring by 8 ¾ lengths with Erin’s Isle, which that year won three grade ones on the West Coast, the San Luis Rey, San Juan Capistrano, and the Hollywood Invitational Turf Club, finishing third.
Just fourteen days after that, All Along was at Laurel Race Course in Baltimore to run in the popular Washington D. C. International, an invitational that back then was one of North America’s most important turf stake races. In this race, she was settled back in fifth place until midway in the backstretch. Biding his time, jockey Walter Swinburn then turned her loose and she opened up a six-length lead, finally crossing the line 3 ¼ lengths eased up in front of Welsh Term as Majesty’s Prince finished third.
This was the final leg in her incredible journey, one made even more difficult because despite running on a firm track in the Arc, she ran on deep-yielding turf courses in all three of her North American efforts and still showed her superiority. She was rewarded for her efforts by being voted North American Champion Turf Filly and Horse of the Year.
All Along’s victory in the International was the final victory in a career that saw her put together a 9-4-2 record from twenty-one starts. When she retired, she did so as the greatest money-winning filly or mare in history, having earned $3,015,764. She faced males fourteen times, including in her final thirteen races, and defeated them five times. Among her stake victories were six grade or group one stakes.
All Along raced at four and once again had a busy schedule with four races, this time in 50 days, but with more travel. It began a fourth-place finish to John Henry in the Turf Classic at Belmont Park on September 22^nd. She then returned to France and ran third to Sagace in the Arc on October 7^th. She came out of this demanding race in good order and shipped to Toronto to run a close fourth in the Rothman’s to Majesty’s Prince, Jack Slade, and Esprit du Nord on October 21^st. From there, it was cross-country to Hollywood Park, where on November 10^th, she lost the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf in the final two jumps to longshot Lashkari.
All Along was retired to Three Chimney’s Farm in Kentucky, where she produced thirteen foals, eleven of which were starters and four of which won. Her colt, Along All (GB) by Mill Reef, was her lone stakes winner, having scored in the group two Prix Greffulhe and group three Prix du Chens while finishing second in the group one Grand Criterium. Another colt, Arnaqueur (USA), finished second and third in group three stakes.
All Along died at Three Chimney’s Farm in 2005. She was twenty-six years old.