LEGACY

 

GUSTAV SCHICKEDANZ- A pioneer in modern Canadian racing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gus leads in his Triple Crown champion Wando

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’d like to think that we do no more or no less than anyone else. We take good care of them, they have good paddocks to grow up in and feed them well. We’re just lucky; they grow up right” – Gus Schickedanz – 1989

 

That quote was a mere 12 years after Gustav Schickedanz made his first significant purchases of Thoroughbreds in Canada. Modest indeed since Gus built up one of the most influential and successful racing and breeding farms in North America over 40 years.

From 1977 when four fillies were bought for $97,500 including Victorious Answer, his first stakes winner, through to 2017’s GO BRO, his most recent stakes winner who took the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes, Gus has raced or bred hundreds of wonderful horses.

Or as he might say, ‘Wando-ful’ horses.

Gus passed away Monday night at his home in Schomberg Ontario at the age of 90.

Two months earlier he was at the Sovereign Awards ceremony to accept the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit from the Jockey Club of Canada.

A horse lover who loved to ride in the hunt club, spend a day at the races to watch his horses and talk shop with fellow racing lovers.

Gus was a gentleman, a competitor and determined. He put the best people with his horses, Lauri Kenny his longtime farm manager, and Mike Keogh, who has trained them for 30 years.

The Woodbine Club perked up every time Gus came into the lounge and anyone in there promptly rushed over to shake his hand.

It won’t be the same without him there.

 

Notable Gus Schickedanz bloodlines:

 

ROYAL COLLEEN, mare purchase in 1988 at Keeneland for $110,000 –

|    dam of KATHIE’S COLLEEN (Woodman), winner Grade 2 Monmouth Oaks; OUTSTANDING BROODMARE-Sovereign Award

|||||   dam of WANDO (Danzig) Canadian Triple Crown winner, many other winners including stakes winner SIX SEXY SISTERS

||||||||||granddam of GO BRO, etc.

 

PRIMA BABU GUM (Gummo) – bought as a yearling 1981

| dam of SWEET BRIAR TOO (Princess Elizabeth Stakes)

|||||  dam of LANGFUHR (Grade 1 winner and leading sire)

 

SHARPENING UP, purchased as broodmare in 1989 for $340,000 – OUTSTANDING BROODMARE

| dam of WOODCARVER (Queen’s Plate), ALL FIRMED UP ($600,00), FIRM DANCER ($550,000)

|||||granddam of WOODSMOKE, etc.

||||||||great granddam of GRAND BILI (Grade 3)

 

VICTORIOUS ANSWER (Northern Answer)

|  dam of VICTORIOUS TRICK, LITTLE STAR VICKY, etc.

|||||| granddam of LAST ANSWER ($800,000)

 

ARCTIC VIXEN – yearling purchase 1979; OUTSTANDING BROODMARE

| dam of BOLD EXECUTIVE, stakes winner, leading Canadian sire; BARBEAU, HIGHLAND RUCKUS

 

KINETIGAL (Naskra) – yearling purchase

| dam of MOBIL, Champion Older Horse, $1,.8 million

 

PERIPHERY (Vice Regent); purchased as broodmare prospect

| dam of CIRCULATING – Plate Trial, leading Canadian stallion

|||||| granddam of MARLANG, RING OF FLOWERS, ETC.

 

 

Official Obituary –

Passed away peacefully at home on Monday, June 17, 2019, at Schonberg Farm, at the age of 90. Beloved husband of Ann, dear father to Lisa (Gebhard), Susi (Gunther), Tina (Paul), Heidi (Brendan). Loving Opa of mark, Anita, Anna, Gretchen, Henry, and Elli, Louise, Emma, Thomas and Peter. Loving great-grandfather of Vivian and Sebastian. Gustav was born in Memel, Lithuania. In 1950 he immigrated to Canada. Together with his brothers, Kurt, Gerhard and Dani, built a successful construction and development company.

Horses have always been a part of Gustav’s life. He was a long time member of the Eglinton Hunt. His racing stable won 2 Queen’s Plates and the Canadian Triple Crown. Family was always important to him and he made great efforts to bring everyone together on Lambert Island in summer and Longleaf Plantation in winter. He will be fondly remembered.

The family will receive their friends at the Egan Funeral Home, 203 Queen Street S. (Hwy. 50), Bolton on Thursday, June 20 from 12:30 until time of funeral service in the chapel at 1:30 p.m. Private family burial in Unionville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Condolences for the family may be offered at www.EganFuneralHome.com

 

Below – I was fresh out of university and assigned to my first big feature story by CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED MAGAZINE – a trip to Schonberg Farms in January 1989. Gus led me from paddock to paddock in the snow to meet his mares and talk racing.

feature on Gus in Canadian Thoroughbred magazine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROYAL ASCOT – WEDNESDAY IS DAY 2

Tune in this morning for day 2 of Royal Ascot featuring the Prince of Wales Stakes – Group 1) and 2-year-old stakes with 20+ entries!

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain, post time: 3.40 p.m.
PRINCE OF WALES’S S.-G1, £750,000, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT
SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 6 Crystal Ocean (GB) Sea the Stars (Ire) Dettori Stoute 126
2 4 Desert Encounter (Ire) Halling Crowley Simcock 126
3 7 Hunting Horn (Ire) Camelot (GB) D O’Brien A O’Brien 126
4 8 Waldgeist (GB) Galileo (Ire) Boudot Fabre 126
5 2 Zabeel Prince (Ire) Lope de Vega (Ire) Atzeni Varian 126
6 3 Deirdre (Jpn) Harbinger (GB) Take Hashida 123
7 1 Magical (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Moore A O’Brien 123
8 5 Sea of Class (Ire) Sea the Stars (Ire) J Doyle Haggas 123

below – LORD GLITTERS won the St James Palace Stakes on Day 1 of Royal Ascot: