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” I don’t think about her without believing she was one of those magical, lightning strike things.” (the late Tammy Samuel-Balaz, daughter of SamSon Farm founder, Ernest “Ernie” Samuel.)
“… I really don’t even know where to start. I suppose you would have to understand that I fell in love with Dance Smartly back when she was kicking butt against the boys in ’91 and I was a nine-year-old girl who took up riding because I wanted to be her jockey (never mind the fact that I was already bigger than most jockeys at that age). I’ve loved her pretty much all my life, and those years I got to spend with her were amazing. ” (RV, October 2012.)
RV, this one is for you.
It was only her second foal, but the folks at Sam-Son Farm in Ontario, Canada were right to expect big things from Classy N’ Smart. The mare, a daughter of Sam-Son’s No Class (Nodouble ex. Classy Quillo) and the sire, Smarten (Cyane ex. Smartaire), was already a Canadian Hall-of-Fame inductee, having chalked up 5 wins in 9 starts, including the prestigious Canadian Oaks, before she retired.
The year was 1988. And Classy N’ Smart’s filly foal, standing on shaky legs and lurching crab-like towards her dam’s milk, was equine royalty.
Special as she was, Classy N’ Smart only accounted for half of the newborn’s royal lineage. The other half came to her via Claiborne Farm’s brilliant Danzig. A son of Northern Dancer, Danzig’s racing career was short-circuited by injury. But as a stallion he was pure gold. His sons and daughters were infamous for their talent and, other than Dance Smartly, he gave the world a goodly number of international superstars. Among the most distinguished of his millionaire progeny were Chief’s Crown, Versailles Treaty, Agnes World, Lure, Hard Spun, Polish Navy, Dispute and Danzig Connection. Danzig also sired the much-loved Dayjur, as well as Brahms, Belong To Me and Anabaa, sire of Goldikova. But it was his pre-potent son, Danehill, who would become one of the most influential sires of the late twentieth century.
Below is rare footage of Danzig’s brief racing career. The tape’s a bit worn, but a treat to watch nevertheless.
Classy N’ Smart’s bay filly would join a roster of SamSon champions. The farm took its name from its founder, Ernest “Ernie” Samuel, whose history with thoroughbreds had begun initially with show jumpers. His proudest moment came in 1968, when Canadian Club won Canada’a very first equestrian Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Canadian Club’s rider, the gifted Jim Day, would continue to ride Samuel-owned jumpers as part of Canada’s Olympic Team until 1976, when he retired. Shortly thereafter, Samuel hired him to be SamSon’s private racing trainer.
Well before it became fashionable, Ernie Samuel focused his own breeding program on building an impressive broodmare band, believing that the mare played a key role in the breeding equation . His first purchase was No Class, together with another broodmare prospect, Loudrangle (Quadrangle ex. Lady Known As Lou {Nearctic}). Together, these two established the foundation of Sam-Son’s breeding program. Nor did Samuel stint on stallions, sending his broodmares to only the very best, among them Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer and Danzig.
Classy N’ Smart’s filly was named Dance Smartly, a nod to her grandsire and her broodmare sire, although her distinctive white facial mark quickly earned her the nickname “Daisy” around the farm. Associated with spring and renewal, it was fitting that the leggy filly be re-named after the promise of the daisy.
Other than an outstanding pedigree, Dance Smartly didn’t particularly distinguish herself to trainer Day until she was nearing her first start. Then, as he recalls, jockey Brian Swatuk returned from working the youngster to declare, “This might be the best horse I’ve ever sat on in my entire life.”
Day took note.
A month later, on July 7, 1990, Dance Smartly won her maiden at Woodbine by 3 1/2 lengths. Following a win on the grass in the Natalma Stakes, Dance Smartly and Wilderness Song, another exceptional Sam-Son filly, were sent to Belmont to run in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
But disaster struck when Dance Smartly (outfitted in blinkers) and Wilderness Song were allowed to get into a speed dual that gutted both of them. Day’s instructions were to allow Wilderness Song to get to the front first, with Dance Smartly rating just off the pace until the final stretch run. Coming down to the wire, her head tilted towards the grandstand, Dance Smartly marshalled every ounce of strength she had left.
Watching from the owners’ box as their filly battled on, the Samuels and Jim Day knew what they were seeing: the birth of a champion.
The BC effort was more than enough to earn Dance Smartly the Canadian Sovereign Award that year for Champion 2 year-old filly.
In 1991, as a three-year old, SamSon’s royally-bred filly started 8 times, on 2 different surfaces and in two different countries and emerged victorious every time.
Within a period of eight months, Dance Smartly won the Canadian Oaks, the Canadian Triple Crown (as in the USA, open to both sexes), the Molson Millions and the Breeders Cup Distaff (now the BC Ladies Classic). In so doing, she would vanquish fillies and colts alike, including her solid stablemate, Wilderness Song. Others who fell victim included the American and Canadian champion colts, Fly So Free and Rainbows For Life, Versailles Treaty and Queena, winner of the Maskette, Spinster and Ruffian Stakes (and the future dam of Brahms), as well as Brought To Mind and General Meeting, a son of the great Seattle Slew who would prove to be one of California’s top sires.
By the end of the year, Dance Smartly had become a legend in her own time: the first (and only) filly to ever win the Canadian Triple Crown, the first Canadian-bred to ever win a Breeders Cup race, recipient of both the Sovereign and Eclipse Awards for Champion 3 year-old filly in 1991, as well as a second Sovereign Award for 1991 Horse of the Year and the all-time leading money-winner (filly or mare) worldwide. Largely because of her performance, supplemented by those of Wilderness Song and Rainbows For Life, Sam-Son Farm took home both an Eclipse and Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner (1991).
Daisy’s win in the Canadian Oaks marked the arrival of Pat Day. The American jockey, famous for piloting champions like Easy Goer, Summer Squall, Unbridled, Lady’s Secret and Sam-Son’s Sky Classic, handled Dance Smartly with patience and poise. Horse and jockey seemed to communicate seamlessly.
The “Day boys” (although not related) got along famously. And the connection that Pat Day established between himself and Dance Smartly was fundamental, since, unlike some horses, Daisy wasn’t particularly interactive with her human handlers. Those who knew her best insisted that, right from the beginning, the filly “knew who she was,” pointing out that special horses are frequently aloof. They seem to come from somewhere between the horizon and the heavens, where they frequently fix their gaze in what has been dubbed “the look of eagles.” They listen to the music of the spheres.
The big filly with the resplendent, dappled coat was easy to handle and gentle by nature. Only on the track did she transform from SamSon’s sweetheart into a fire-breathing, equine monster. Despite her habit of leaping out of the gate as though she was a sprinter, Day could do anything with her. The filly relaxed beautifully, allowing her to channel that strength and determination into a burst of lightening speed when asked. Pat Day could feel her readiness through the reins, ears pricked, waiting for him to push the button. And when he did, the champion eased away from the rest of the field in long, fluid strides.
Looks can be deceiving. Daisy seemed to do it all so easily that only the fractions told the real story. That, and the devastation she left in her wake: Dance Smartly’s Triple Crown triumph comprised a combined winning margin of 18 lengths.
Before being entered in the first leg of the Triple, the Queen’s Plate, Dance Smartly had never taken on the boys before. She was joined by SamSon’s Wilderness Song and Rainbows For Life. Watch as the SamSon fillies come home first and second:
Unlike its American counterpart, the Canadian Triple Crown was run over two different surfaces — dirt and grass — until 2006, when Woodbine’s main dirt track was converted to polytrack. The Canadian Triple is comprised of three races: the 1 1/4 mile Queen’s Plate (dirt), the 1 3/16 Prince of Wales Stakes (on the dirt at Fort Erie) and, finally, on the grass at Woodbine for the 1 1/2 mile Breeders’ Stakes. Inaugurated in 1959, there have been 7 horses to win the Canadian Triple to date, among them New Providence (1959), Canebora (1963), With Approval (1989) and the ill-fated Izvestia (1990).
Here she is on tape, accompanied by delighted Canadian voices, winning the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, The Prince of Wales Stakes:
The last leg, the Breeders’ Stakes, is run in August on the grass track at Woodbine. The day dawned warm and slightly humid. The turf was labelled good.
Next up was the Molson Millions. a short few weeks after her Triple Crown sweep. Despite the fact that it came only a few short weeks after her Triple Crown campaign, Dance Smartly’s win was breathtaking. (The race is highlighted at the very beginning of the article, above).
The Breeders’ Cup Distaff was now a little over six weeks away. Shortly after their arrival in Kentucky, Daisy’s exercise rider returned from a work to say that something didn’t feel right: the filly was favouring a front foot. It would take almost three weeks to treat it, during which time Wilderness Song, under Pat Day, gave Sam-Son its first international victory when she took the Spinster.
Dance Smartly was being hand-walked until shortly before the Distaff, when she was given one strong workout. And although her connections were delighted with it, they also knew that one work offered little guarantee that their champion was back to her best form. By all accounts, Daisy was a filly recovering from an injury and nearing the end of a long, tiring campaign when she walked into the Breeders’ Cup starting gate at Churchill Downs:
She was, indeed, the undisputed Queen of North American racing. The late Tammy Samuel-Balaz was to say that the experience of accompanying Dance Smartly throughout her 1991 campaign was “A magical time.” One can only imagine what the exploits of his homebred champion meant to Ernie Samuel. Other SamSon champions would follow: Sky Classic, Chief Bearhart, Smart Strike, Ruling Angel, Quiet Resolve and Soaring Free. Between 1984-2004, SamSon Farm would see eight of their horses crowned Canadian Horse of the Year.
But one thing was certain on that autumn day in 1991: Dance Smartly had stolen hearts as no other before her, taking her family and fans on a journey to the pinnacle of thoroughbred racing. It was hard to take it all in as it was happening, in the same way that history eludes those living it. But there were images: Dance Smartly turning her head towards the grandstand as she devoured the home stretch, as if to say, “Okay people –watch this!” ….the red and gold silks, stealing up on the outside of the competition …..the characteristic bowing of her head as she was led into the winner’s circle….the wide, intelligent forehead and the warmth in her deep, dark eyes.
Dance Smartly returned at four, running exclusively on the grass and winning the Canadian Maturity in mixed company. However, unknown to her racing public, Daisy had been fighting a pulled suspensory ligament injury to her right foreleg. Following a third place finish in the Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington, Ernie Samuel announced her retirement.
She had done enough. In 17 starts, Dance Smartly was never worse than third, retiring with 12 wins, 2 places, 3 shows and earnings of $3,263, 835.00.
Racing accolades would follow: in 1995, Dance Smartly was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame; in 2003, she was inducted into the American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, joining a pantheon of North American champions.
Incredibly, as a broodmare Dance Smartly was as successful as she’d been on the track. Although Ernie Samuel died of cancer in 2000, only a short time before one of Dance Smartly’s foals took the Queen’s Plate, Daisy did him proud throughout her life.
Of Dance Smartly’s first 5 foals, two — Scatter The Gold and Dancethruthedawn — won back-to-back Queen’s Plates in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Millionaire Dancethruthedawn’s three year-old campaign culminated with a Sovereign Award for Champion 3 year-old filly (2001). Another Sovereign was awarded to Dance Smartly for Broodmare of the Year — the third generation of Samson broodmares to win it.
Although her best offspring in terms of earnings was Dancethruthedawn (1998), Daisy’s sons Dance Brightly (1995), Dance To Destiny (1999) and Dance With Ravens (2002) have all proven to be very consistent sires. Another two, Dancethruthestorm and Dance To The Sea never raced and are members of SamSon’s broodmare band.
In her new life as a mare on the farm where she was raised, Daisy loved to play games — providing her human playmate had treats. Favourites were “find the mint” and follow-the-leader. She was attentive, patient and kind with her foals. The old stifle injury continued to bother her and became degenerative as she grew older, giving her a “gimpy” walk and forcing her to put more pressure on her one good foreleg. SamSon placed her with another handicapped mare, Rainbow Classic, who became Daisy’s BFF.
The staff at SamSon loved Dance Smartly. Regal and aloof though she could be, Daisy had a special human friend with whom she was affectionate. RV had loved Daisy since she was a girl and now, with the mare’s velvety muzzle in her lap, a long-cherished dream had come true.
On August 18 or 19, 2007, Daisy was found laying down in her paddock. She could not get up. The SamSon personnel gathered around her, encouraging her to try. It took extraordinary effort. But once standing, it was clear why the mare had spent so long on the ground: she had broken at least one bone in her already handicapped foreleg. In the end there was only one humane avenue open. Dance Smartly was only 19 years old.
Under the Globe & Mail’s headline, “Beloved Dance Smartly Put To Rest,” farm manager Dave Whitford told readers, “We do have a nice grave for her right out in front of the office, a very special place for her…..We’ll be trying to make that area as nice as possible in the coming months.”
Between the lines of final tributes, in the spaces between paragraphs and in what those who were interviewed left unsaid, the void was articulated. Canadian racing had lost its Queen. SamSon, its beloved Daisy.
Memory, like love, makes its home on the threshold of eternity. For those of us who loved her, that is where Dance Smartly lives.
I’m always thrilled to see your updates in my mail box. I especially enjoy the way you give female racers just as much weight and consideration as you give the males. You fill your articles with such care and detail each one is a joy to read. I can’t tell you how many supposedly impartial horse-racing forums and websites I’ve seen that revere male horses but females (even legends like Ruffian, Zenyatta, and Rachel Alexandra) are virtually ignored. If these talented ladies are even mentioned they are usually dismissed as being ‘over-rated’.
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Firstcoyote: I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why ALL comments don’t end up in my Comments box under Site Administrator! So please pardon my late, late reply. I so appreciate your comments. I do try, very conscientiously, to not only deal with the colts. There have been, as I’m certain you know, so many brilliant fillies & mares, and I worry they will be lost if their not given the space and plaudits they deserve! Abigail
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Oh how I love your articles and the details you always give us. It’s amazing how we all loved Secretariat, Slew, Zenyatta, and Rachel and put them on pedestals. But every once in a while, one horse just draws us to them, they may not have the popularity of the greats, but to us that one becomes special. For you it’s this lovely mare, who I did not know that much about, for me it will always be A P Indy. He was my derby as well as Triple Crown pick when I fell in love with him. Unfortunately, an injury made that impossible, but from that day on he was my guy. I was priviledged to meet him at Lanes End twice, even hugged him and gave him a kiss. I shall remember it always. I hope you had a chance to meet this lovely mare in person too. I still hold out hope of meeting Zenny some day when she’s old and gray. Thanks for this wonderful tribute. Hugs Sue.
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Sue: You’re another reader whose comments never went to my Admin. site so I fear you’ve been ignored — though by some tekkie hitch that I don’t really understand! Thank you for all your support and loved hearing about your love for the GREAT A. P. Indy. He’s a love of mine too — I still have pretty much every Blood-Horse during his racing career and then as Mr. Super Sire! Love & hugs, Abigail
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Dance Smartly was the Queen of Racing and there was no way I was ever going to miss watching her races on TV back in 1991. She was, like the song played during the preview for the Molson Million, Three Times a Lady
I hope I can come by and visit her grave. I may be just a fan, but I sure loved that mare
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Leslie: Thank you so much for writing! I loved her too & still grieve her loss to us at such a relatively young age. I also intend to visit her grave @ SamSon one day. And you know what? There’s no such thing as “just a fan” in my book because we’re the ones that keep horses like Dance Smartly alive in our hearts forever. I wish you all the best in 2013, Leslie. Abigail
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Leslie: Please see my response to your second comment.
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So well written, I can only say as her Groom you have everything right.
Thank you
Teresa Rice
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Teresa! SO GLAD TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU!!!! Do you remember corresponding about Daisy awhile back? You were going to send me photos but you were down in Florida and then as I remember it, your dog got very very ill. Anyway, I’m so glad that “I got it right” but would really, really appreciate it if you could tell me more about Daisy’s personality. I know that she was aloof, but as her groom, she certainly had her closest relationship with you. I have loved her for always and just would like to know as much about the “real” Daisy as I can learn. And: thank you for writing, Teresa. I thought that I’d lost our connection! Happy New Year to you & yours, Abigail
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I only knew “of” Dance Smartly, but did not know her, which this beautiful account has duly rectified this deficiency in my horse knowledge! Wow! What an amazing horse, and of course, being a filly makes her accomplishments all the more special. Her being the only female TC winner in Canada leads me to ask has there ever been another female TC winner in any other country? I’m sure there must have been, but I don’t recall hearing about any. Hugs, Abigail, and Happy New Year!
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She’s once in two lifetimes, Abbie !!! She tugs at my eart so !!!
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This comment never came to my Admin. box, along with several others! No idea why this happens though. LOVED your noting that “Daisy” is, indeed, the only TC winner ever, world-wide (in a mixed company TC). Makes her even more special. I’m so thankful I was around to follow her brilliant campaign! Love you, Ann Maree and sending you Easter wishes, Abigail
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Thank you so much! Happy New Year!
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Cocoandisa: Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
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Nice art piece: http://www.muralmosaic.com/Horse/Panels/207.html
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Jim: This is the 4th comment on my article on Dance Smartly that never showed up on my Comments Admin. site. I found them here this morning! So: Happy Easter, my friend. Fond regards, Abigail
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Your story is a wonderful tribute to an amazing mare – beautifully told and emphasized with inspiring videos and beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing this remarkable horse’s story with us. I enjoyed reading every word and viewing the photos/videos. Sadly she only lived to 19 but what a tremendous impact she had during those short years! Every once in a while, a horse comes along that grabs your heart and forever lives in memory. That is when you’re lucky to have known the horse!
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Dressyourhorse: I couldn’t agree with you more! I had wanted to write about Dance Smartly for a very long time, but it was challenging to get the kind of information about her that I like to have. Anyone can write out the stats. But I can only take my readers “home” if I know something that makes a horse or a person interesting. So glad that you liked DS’s story. It was made possible by 2 very kind people who knew her and loved her enormously. Without their help, I doubt that I would ever have written about her, even though she is a fabulous individual and one of my great loves!
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I have never read an article that you have written that was anything les than fabulous. I just want it all in book form
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Susan: What a wonderful comment! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! I’ve had a few book requests but can’t think of how to do it in a cost-effective way. Then there’s the matter of the photographs, all of which will require a copyright clearance. But I’m still trying to see how this might be done. Abigail
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Abigail, The pictures are so important ,I realize it would be a near impossible task. I found the relationship between Dance Smartly and Diva to be tender and at the same time bittersweet. Do we know where she is? The gorgeous photo of Dance Smartly with “the look of eagles” is now my wallpaper. I have never seen one more beautiful. Thank you!
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Susan: Thank you for this lovely comment! I woke up on Easter morning to read it and, of course, it sent me back in time to recapture my love for “Daisy.” Diva is at SamSon Farm and has had 3 listed foals, the gelding South to the Sea (Johannesburg), Tizgone (filly, by Tiznow — born in 2010) and Free To Dance (colt, by Unbridled’s Song — born in 2011). I could find no race records for these last 2. The gelding seems to have not been too good (winnings under a thousand CAD). I’m thrilled you enjoyed the photos. The onbe on your desktop was taken by Anne Eberhardt Keogh of The Blood-Horse magazine. (It can be purchased from their photo store very reasonably, if you’re interested.) The photo first appeared on the cover of The Blood-Horse, which is where I first saw it. Now it hangs on my wall, right next to Man O’ War and Secretariat! Abigail
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Just finished reading this marvelous story once again for the umpteenth time. I still remember vividly the excitement that Dance Smartly gave me when she ran. Such a marvelous mare and such wonderful connections to keep her in Canada to foal her babies. Sam Son is my Favorite Canadian Breeder because of that and I will be a fan of theirs for life.
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Hi again, Leslie. Yes, she was my spirit on the track right up to her last race and she will always hold a huge place in my heart. I keep reminding people that Daisy was the ONLY filly worldwide to take a Triple Crown against colts. As for Sam Son, I agree with you, although I also have tons of respect for EP Taylor and Windfields. It’s sad to think that only Sam Son has survived and in a limited form compared to the days of Ernie & Tammy. But we all need to learn to live in the moment, in that sense, because a Dance Smartly will never happen again, just like all of the other Great Ones. Thank you so much for writing and sharing your love for this great, great thoroughbred. Abigail
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Thank you so very much for your wonderful article about Dance Smartly. I remember watching her race on TV and cheering her on as she was a granddaughter of the remarkable Northern Dancer and a great racehorse in her own right. I have read the book “The Kingmaker: How Northern Dancer Founded a Racing Dynasty” for about the fourth time and am always dismayed that she does not include a section or ever a paragraph or two about Dance Smartly. Daisy will always live on in my memories along with the great Ruffian –two VERY classy ladies 🙂
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Johanna: I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the piece on “Daisy” — she is one of my all-time loves! I was very fortunate to hook up with her groom who was unbelievably helpful in supplying me with so much information about her, as well as photos. I am not a fan of the book on Northern Dancer that you mention here. I own a copy and have read it and find it’s filled with oversights and errors. I much prefer Muriel Lennox’s book, although it was published too early to take account of the incomparable Dance Smartly. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. THE VAULT is a non-profit site — despite the ads which only WordPress itself profits from. I do it for readers like yourself! Abigail
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A beautiful account of Daisy, Danzig and the Samuels family. I feel very lucky to have seen Dance Smartly run at Woodbine and to have met her sire at Claiborne. A trip to Daisy’s grave will be upcoming and mints will be left for her. Hope all is well with you Abigail.
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Brenda: I miss our chats & hope that all is well with you too. Please leave my Daisy girl a kiss from me! I so wish that I had seen her…… Abigail
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