Gay Gallanta is a chestnut mare, bred in Kentucky by Flaxman Holdings Ltd, the American breeding division of the Niarchos family's racing interests.

Woodman, a son of Mr. Prospector, was a highly successful stallion, siring the winners of more than twenty Group One races including the champions Bosra Sham, Hawk Wing and Hector Protector.

Gay Gallanta's debut was not a particularly promising one, as she finished fifth of the ten runners in a maiden race at Sandown Park Racecourse at the end of May.

[6][7] The field proved to be a strong one: Myself went on to win the Nell Gwyn Stakes, while the third placed Hoh Magic won the Group One Prix Morny later that season.

Gay Gallanta's next appearance came two months later at York in the Lowther Stakes for which she was made joint-favourite with Harayir, to whom she was set to concede three pounds.

On her final start of the season, Gay Gallanta was sent to Newmarket for the Cheveley Park Stakes, one of the two Group One races for two-year-old fillies in Britain.

[8] Looking back on the two-year-old fillies of 1994, Sue Montgomery, writing in The Independent commented that they "kept beating each other, but there was much to admire about the determination of Gay Gallanta.