Golden Choice (foaled 1983) is a Canadian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

best known for winning Canada's most prestigious horse race, the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a ma ...

. Sired by Val de l'Orne, the 1975

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...

winner, his damsire was Barachois, a son of

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred that, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. After being retired from racing, he became one of the most successful Stallion, sires of the 2 ...

. Golden Choice was purchased as a yearling for $60,000 at the

Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) is an organization headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1906 to assist Thoroughbred horse breeders. Since 1982, there have been provincial divisions in Alberta, British Columb ...

(CTHS) sale at Woodbine. Racing as a three-year-old, he finished third in the 1986

Plate Trial Stakes The Plate Trial Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred flat horserace for three-Year-Olds, foaled in Canada run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Raced in early June, the -mile race on dirt is considered one of the most important pre ...

and then won the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown. The

was the first ever win for Golden Choice, who then defeated the great

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

Carotene The term carotene (also carotin, from the Latin ''carota'', "carrot") is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the ex ...

to capture the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

. However, in the final leg of the Triple Crown series, he finished third to Carotene. Among his other victories in 1986, Golden Choice won the Niagara Breeders' Cup Stakes. His performances that year earned him the

Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse The Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is a Canada, Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honour. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top 3-Year-Old male T ...

. His co-owner, Richard "Dick" Sanderson, wrote a book about Golden Choice titled ''The Choice was GOLDEN :The True Story of a Racehorse''. Noted

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

sportscaster

Jim McKay James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known professionally as Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist. McKay was best known for hosting ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'' (1961–1998). His intro ...

said of the book: "There are more good stories in horse racing than in any other sport. This is one of them."

References

* Sanderson, Dick '' The Choice was GOLDEN : The True Story of a Racehorse'' (1988) Caxton Hall Publishers {{ISBN, 0-9692947-0-0
Golden Choice's pedigree and partial racing stats
1983 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada King's Plate winners Sovereign Award winners Thoroughbred family 4-r