Avant’s Gold is only the fifth racemare to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and she handsomely meets the criteria established by Dalkeith, Teeworth, Magic Note and Delta Colleen.

As a four-year-old in 1991 she won the Sovereign Award as the top older filly or mare in Canada, only the second British Columbia-bred to be so honoured. That year she beat the best in Washington in the Belle Roberts, whipped the finest in British Columbia in the Ballerina, and then had her six race victory streak severed when she finished second in the open Randall Plate. She had captured a total of six stakes that season and her earnings of $426,000 established her as the best distaffer in the country.

In five seasons of competition she won 15 of her 50 starts, including 11 stakes. She also had 10 seconds (eight in stakes). She was retired early in her seven-year-old season while campaigning at Santa Anita under trainer Alan May. She finished second in two Santa Anita stakes, the Santa Lucia and the Pineapple Express, and was third in the Desert Law Handicap.

Her victory in the Ballerina on Thanksgiving Day in 1991 was significant because she dethroned Delta Colleen, the reigning queen, by seven lengths. Dennis Feser wrote in the Vancouver Sun: “The margin represented a changing of the guard for the two daughters of Golden Reserve – to the four-year-old Avant’s Gold from the six-year-old Delta Colleen.

Avant’s Gold raced throughout her career for Cedar Grove Thoroughbreds, which also bred the daughter of Golden Reserve and Avant’s Babe. Fred Bucci, Sr. had high ambitions when he built Cedar Grove in the early 1970’s and Avant’s Gold was his crowning achievement.

Among the first stallions at Cedar Grove was Avant, a son of Belmont winner Hail to All. Bred by Bunny Hutch, one of several broodmares Bucci imported from the U.S., she produced Avant’s Babe, a winner of three races and $25,000.

Bucci then went outside his Cedar Grove stallions and bred Avant’s Babe to Golden Reserve. The result was what trainer Alan May described as a “versatile and totally honest mare.”