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Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 - November 16, 1990) was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history."
A bay colt, Northern Dancer was by Nearctic-Natalma, by Native Dancer. In 1952, Edward P. Taylor, Canadian business magnate and owner of Windfields Farm, had attended the December sale at Newmarket, England where he purchased Lady Angela, a mare in foal to Nearco. Two years later she was bred again with Nearco, producing a colt named Nearctic who was voted the 1958 Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year. From Nearctic and the mare Natalma, a daughter of the great Native Dancer, came Northern Dancer.
Racing career
Northern Dancer was ridden by Ron Turcotte in his first victory as a two-year-old at Fort Erie Race Track. Before the running of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, trainer Horatio Luro asked jockey Bill Shoemaker to make a commitment to ride either Northern Dancer or the more promising colt Hill Rise. Shoemaker went with the unbeaten Hill Rise, believing the colt represented his best chance for a win at the prestigious Kentucky Derby. As a result of Shoemaker's decision, Bill Hartack became Northern Dancer's permanent jockey, guiding him to his best season in 1964 at age 3 when he won the Flamingo Stakes, Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Kentucky Derby in record time, the Preakness Stakes, and the Queen's Plate. He was also named the Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old of 1964.
In his two years of racing, Northern Dancer won 14 of his 18 races and never finished worse than third. In The Blood-Horse ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Northern Dancer was ranked #43.
A sire of champions
Northern Dancer stood at stud at Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario until 1969 when he was moved to Windfields Maryland farm where he remained until his death. Northern Dancer was the most successful sire in thoroughbred horse-racing in the 20th Century. His offspring have earned more money and won more major stakes races than those of any other sire up until the 1990's era of shuttle stallions, including North American, Japanese, Australian and European champions. He sired 146 stakes winners including the great Nijinsky II, winner of England's Triple Crown, as well as The Minstrel, Shareef Dancer, Secreto, El Gran Senor, Fanfreluche.
An exceptional sire, he was named the 20th century's best sire of sires, producing multiple champions in both the United States and the United Kingdom. His sons who became great sires included Nureyev, Lyphard, Danzig, Sadler's Wells, and Storm Bird. His influence extended to Japan where his son Northern Taste stood at stud at the Yoshida family's Shadai Stallion Station and was the Leading sire in Japan for ten years.
In the 1983 Keeneland auction, one of Northern Dancer's colts named Snaafi Dancer became the first $10 million yearling.
Although he has been dead for more than fifteen years, there are more Northern Dancer line Breeder's Cup winners than any other horse.
Honors
Northern Dancer won the American Eclipse Award as Three-Year Old Male Champion of 1964 and the Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year. In 1965, he became the first horse to ever be voted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, an honour he held for thirty-one years and now shares with Canadian Equestrian Champion Big Ben (inducted 1996). On its formation he was part of the first group of inductees into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976. He was retired from stud (breeding) on April 15, 1987 at the age of 26. He died in 1990 and is memorialized at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. In 1999, Canada Post honored the horse with his image placed on a postage stamp. A residential street was named after the horse on the former site of the Greenwood Race Track in east-end Toronto. There is also a life size bronze statue of the horse outside Woodbine Race Track in northwest Toronto.
During the past forty years, a number of books have been written about Northern Dancer with the latest two editions coming out in 2006. One, by respected pedigree authority Avalyn Hunter, author of "American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002)," recounts how Northern Dancer and his sons have established a royal dynasty that has profoundly dominated the international bloodstock market.
A bay colt, Northern Dancer was by Nearctic-Natalma, by Native Dancer. In 1952, Edward P. Taylor, Canadian business magnate and owner of Windfields Farm, had attended the December sale at Newmarket, England where he purchased Lady Angela, a mare in foal to Nearco. Two years later she was bred again with Nearco, producing a colt named Nearctic who was voted the 1958 Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year. From Nearctic and the mare Natalma, a daughter of the great Native Dancer, came Northern Dancer.
Racing career
Northern Dancer was ridden by Ron Turcotte in his first victory as a two-year-old at Fort Erie Race Track. Before the running of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, trainer Horatio Luro asked jockey Bill Shoemaker to make a commitment to ride either Northern Dancer or the more promising colt Hill Rise. Shoemaker went with the unbeaten Hill Rise, believing the colt represented his best chance for a win at the prestigious Kentucky Derby. As a result of Shoemaker's decision, Bill Hartack became Northern Dancer's permanent jockey, guiding him to his best season in 1964 at age 3 when he won the Flamingo Stakes, Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Kentucky Derby in record time, the Preakness Stakes, and the Queen's Plate. He was also named the Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old of 1964.
In his two years of racing, Northern Dancer won 14 of his 18 races and never finished worse than third. In The Blood-Horse ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Northern Dancer was ranked #43.
A sire of champions
Northern Dancer stood at stud at Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario until 1969 when he was moved to Windfields Maryland farm where he remained until his death. Northern Dancer was the most successful sire in thoroughbred horse-racing in the 20th Century. His offspring have earned more money and won more major stakes races than those of any other sire up until the 1990's era of shuttle stallions, including North American, Japanese, Australian and European champions. He sired 146 stakes winners including the great Nijinsky II, winner of England's Triple Crown, as well as The Minstrel, Shareef Dancer, Secreto, El Gran Senor, Fanfreluche.
An exceptional sire, he was named the 20th century's best sire of sires, producing multiple champions in both the United States and the United Kingdom. His sons who became great sires included Nureyev, Lyphard, Danzig, Sadler's Wells, and Storm Bird. His influence extended to Japan where his son Northern Taste stood at stud at the Yoshida family's Shadai Stallion Station and was the Leading sire in Japan for ten years.
In the 1983 Keeneland auction, one of Northern Dancer's colts named Snaafi Dancer became the first $10 million yearling.
Although he has been dead for more than fifteen years, there are more Northern Dancer line Breeder's Cup winners than any other horse.
Honors
Northern Dancer won the American Eclipse Award as Three-Year Old Male Champion of 1964 and the Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year. In 1965, he became the first horse to ever be voted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, an honour he held for thirty-one years and now shares with Canadian Equestrian Champion Big Ben (inducted 1996). On its formation he was part of the first group of inductees into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1976. He was retired from stud (breeding) on April 15, 1987 at the age of 26. He died in 1990 and is memorialized at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. In 1999, Canada Post honored the horse with his image placed on a postage stamp. A residential street was named after the horse on the former site of the Greenwood Race Track in east-end Toronto. There is also a life size bronze statue of the horse outside Woodbine Race Track in northwest Toronto.
During the past forty years, a number of books have been written about Northern Dancer with the latest two editions coming out in 2006. One, by respected pedigree authority Avalyn Hunter, author of "American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002)," recounts how Northern Dancer and his sons have established a royal dynasty that has profoundly dominated the international bloodstock market.
