Horses Frozen in Time – Northern Dancer
September 15th 2011 10:32
An article from Vicki L Vinson continuing her series on famous horses captured in sculpture.
Words & photography by Vicki L Vinson.
Horses Frozen in Time – Northern Dancer
Standing proudly in the paddock near the main entrance at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Canada is the life size statue of the great Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer was what is commonly referred to as a late May foal born on 5/27/61. But in early May of 1964 when he hadn’t yet celebrated is true third birthday he was busy winning the Kentucky Derby running by all the other three year olds born in February, March and April. Northern Dancer was a Canadian Bred from breeder/owner Edward P. Taylor of Windfields Farm. The horse failed to meet his $ 25,000 reserve price as a yearling, so he went on to join the Windfields racing team under trainer Horatio Luro. His first win as a two year old was at Fort Erie Race Track in Canada under jockey Ron Turcotte. At age 2 Northern Dancer had a remarkable record of 7 wins out of 9 starts, never finishing off the board, this was enough to earn him the Canadian Juvenile Championship.
In 1964 Northern Dancer’s three year old campaign saw him hit the Derby trail. Under jockey Bill Shoemaker Northern Dancer won the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah Race Track and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and was scheduled to run in the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland for his final prep going into the Kentucky Derby. Horatio Luro wanted a commitment from Shoemaker that if he rode the horse in the Bluegrass he would ride him in the Kentucky Derby. But Shoemaker had already decided he wanted to ride the California horse Hill Rise in the Derby so Mr. Luro signed up jockey Bill Hartack to become Northern Dancer’s permanent jockey. The rest is history, Northern Dancer not only won the Kentucky Derby but he went on to win the Preakness and run third in the Belmont. Following the Triple Crown races in the U.S., Northern Dancer went home to Canada and won their version of the Derby by winning the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Race Track where his statue now stands. Following the Queen’s Plate Northern Dancer came up with tenderness in his left front tendon ending his racing career. He was named the North American Champion 3 Year Old Colt and the Canadian Horse of the year.
His racing career cut short, Northern Dancer was off to the breeding shed at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario and would soon go down in history as the most successful sire of the 20th century. Northern Dancer stood at the farm in Oshawa until 1969 and was then moved to Windfields’ Maryland farm where he would remain until his death on 11/16/90. Northern Dancer’s offspring have earned more money and won more major stakes races than any other sire up to the 1990’s including North American, Japanese, Australian and European champs. Some of his immediate offspring were Nijinsky II, The Minstrel, El Gran Senor and Franfreluche. Outstanding sons who also went on to be great sires in their own right include Danzig, Fairy King, Lyphard, Nureyev, and Sadler’s Wells. Northern Dancer produced the first $10 million sales yearling Snaafi Dancer. Northern Dancer has been dead for over 20 years yet there has been more Breeders Cup winners from the from his blood line than that of any other sire. And since 1994 the male blood line of every Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner includes Northern Dancer.
The bronze of Northern Dancer was done by sculptor Philip Blacker who has also done sculptures of Northern Dancer’s grandson Danehill and his great great granddaughter Makybe Diva a true testimony to his greatness as a sire through the generations. He is the paternal grandsire of several prominent modern day sires such at Storm Cat, Deputy Minister, El Prado and Danehill. Northern Dancer was the first horse voted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He was part of the first group of inductees into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame and in 1976 he was inducted into the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame. Northern Dancer was retired from stud at the age of 26 and after his passing on 11/16/90 his remains were returned to Windfields Farm in Canada where today there is an exerted effort to restore and care for the horse cemetery where he and other great champions are buried.
Words & photography by Vicki L Vinson.
Horses Frozen in Time – Northern Dancer
Standing proudly in the paddock near the main entrance at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Canada is the life size statue of the great Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer was what is commonly referred to as a late May foal born on 5/27/61. But in early May of 1964 when he hadn’t yet celebrated is true third birthday he was busy winning the Kentucky Derby running by all the other three year olds born in February, March and April. Northern Dancer was a Canadian Bred from breeder/owner Edward P. Taylor of Windfields Farm. The horse failed to meet his $ 25,000 reserve price as a yearling, so he went on to join the Windfields racing team under trainer Horatio Luro. His first win as a two year old was at Fort Erie Race Track in Canada under jockey Ron Turcotte. At age 2 Northern Dancer had a remarkable record of 7 wins out of 9 starts, never finishing off the board, this was enough to earn him the Canadian Juvenile Championship.
In 1964 Northern Dancer’s three year old campaign saw him hit the Derby trail. Under jockey Bill Shoemaker Northern Dancer won the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah Race Track and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and was scheduled to run in the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland for his final prep going into the Kentucky Derby. Horatio Luro wanted a commitment from Shoemaker that if he rode the horse in the Bluegrass he would ride him in the Kentucky Derby. But Shoemaker had already decided he wanted to ride the California horse Hill Rise in the Derby so Mr. Luro signed up jockey Bill Hartack to become Northern Dancer’s permanent jockey. The rest is history, Northern Dancer not only won the Kentucky Derby but he went on to win the Preakness and run third in the Belmont. Following the Triple Crown races in the U.S., Northern Dancer went home to Canada and won their version of the Derby by winning the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Race Track where his statue now stands. Following the Queen’s Plate Northern Dancer came up with tenderness in his left front tendon ending his racing career. He was named the North American Champion 3 Year Old Colt and the Canadian Horse of the year.
His racing career cut short, Northern Dancer was off to the breeding shed at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario and would soon go down in history as the most successful sire of the 20th century. Northern Dancer stood at the farm in Oshawa until 1969 and was then moved to Windfields’ Maryland farm where he would remain until his death on 11/16/90. Northern Dancer’s offspring have earned more money and won more major stakes races than any other sire up to the 1990’s including North American, Japanese, Australian and European champs. Some of his immediate offspring were Nijinsky II, The Minstrel, El Gran Senor and Franfreluche. Outstanding sons who also went on to be great sires in their own right include Danzig, Fairy King, Lyphard, Nureyev, and Sadler’s Wells. Northern Dancer produced the first $10 million sales yearling Snaafi Dancer. Northern Dancer has been dead for over 20 years yet there has been more Breeders Cup winners from the from his blood line than that of any other sire. And since 1994 the male blood line of every Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner includes Northern Dancer.
The bronze of Northern Dancer was done by sculptor Philip Blacker who has also done sculptures of Northern Dancer’s grandson Danehill and his great great granddaughter Makybe Diva a true testimony to his greatness as a sire through the generations. He is the paternal grandsire of several prominent modern day sires such at Storm Cat, Deputy Minister, El Prado and Danehill. Northern Dancer was the first horse voted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He was part of the first group of inductees into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame and in 1976 he was inducted into the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame. Northern Dancer was retired from stud at the age of 26 and after his passing on 11/16/90 his remains were returned to Windfields Farm in Canada where today there is an exerted effort to restore and care for the horse cemetery where he and other great champions are buried.
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