NEWS
Northern Dancer: A place in history
Posted: Saturday, December 09, 2000
Canada's Northern Dancer is the 20th century's best sire of sires
In his first crop, foaled in 1966, Northern Dancer sired ten stakes winners from 21 foals, a 47.6% strike rate. Had he maintained that percentage throughout his 22 subsequent crops of foals, Northern Dancer would have been, hands down, the best sire of racehorses in the history of the Thoroughbred breed.
Instead, the great son of Nearctic was about half that good over his entire career, with 146 stakes winners from 645 foals or 22.6%. That made him the best sire of the second half of the 20th century. Only Bold Ruler and his sire, *Nasrullah, managed similar percentages in that era and, though still powerful, their male lines have been all but overwhelmed over the last 25 years by the descendants of Northern Dancer.
Foaled on May 27, 1961, at E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm near Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Northern Dancer came from the first crop of Taylor's Canadian champion Nearctic and was the first foal of the great Canadian breeder's stakes-placed Native Dancer mare Natalma. The late foaling date occurred because Natalma had chipped a knee while training for the Kentucky Oaks at three in 1960 and was rushed off to the breeding shed to help fill Nearctic's book.
Northern Dancer was a small but powerful colt with a lively temperament. Fortunately, he inherited neither his dam's calf knees nor his sire's curby hocks. Despite his small stature, he was one of three yearlings priced at $25,000 for Windfields's annual private, prepriced yearling sale in 1962. The other two sold; luckily for Taylor, Northern Dancer did not.
Northern Dancer made his debut for Windfields's second-string trainer T. P. Fleming on August 2, 1963, winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race at Fort Erie racetrack by 6 3/4 lengths in 1:06 1/5 under apprentice rider Ron Turcotte. He was beaten four lengths by Ramblin Road in the 6 1/2-furlong Vandal Stakes at the same track two weeks later but then scored a 1 1/4-length victory in the Summer Stakes over a mile on turf in heavy going.
Transferred to Luro
That victory earned him a promotion to Windfields's first-string trainer, Horatio Luro, at Woodbine racetrack, but he ran second to Grand Garcon while conceding that colt 11 pounds in the Cup and Saucer Stakes in his first start for the South American-born horseman.
Under the Racing Hall of Fame trainer's tutelage, however, Northern Dancer closed his two-year-old season with a five-race win streak, including the Coronation Futurity and Carleton Stakes in Canada. He sealed his reputation as the best juvenile in Canada with two wins at Aqueduct, first trouncing Futurity Stakes winner Bupers by eight lengths in a mile allowance race and then beating Lord Date by two lengths in the Remsen Stakes.
Northern Dancer was rated joint-sixth at 123 pounds (three below champion Raise a Native, who already had been retired to stud) on the Experimental Free Handicap, and his potential as a classic colt was obvious.
Half fit, he was beaten in his first start at three in 1964 and then won six consecutive races-an allowance, the Flamingo Stakes, Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness Stakes. Each of those victories was characterized by his ability to sit just off the pace at a high cruising speed, produce a sharp burst of acceleration at the crucial moment, and then persevere gamely to the wire.
In the Kentucky Derby, 3.40-to-1 Northern Dancer showed the advantage of being small and shifty, staying clear of trouble on the final turn while the larger, longer-striding, 7-to-5 favorite Hill Rise required more than a furlong to regain his momentum after being stopped briefly. The little Nearctic colt, three weeks short of his actual third birthday, won by a neck over Hill Rise in a track-record 2:00 and became a Canadian national hero.
Northern Dancer won the Preakness by daylight, prevailing by 2 1/4 lengths over The Scoundrel, who had finished third in the Derby, with Hill Rise-again favored despite the Derby result-taking third. Northern Dancer's winning streak ended in the Belmont Stakes, in which he finished third, sixth lengths behind winner Quadrangle. The colt strained a tendon slightly in the race, but he may not have stayed the Belmont's 1 1/2 miles in any event. Luro held him together for one more race, winning the Queen's Plate Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths, but the tendon went soon afterward and ended Northern Dancer's racing career.
Unexpected brilliance
Champion three-year-old of 1964 and Horse of the Year in Canada, Northern Dancer retired to stud with a record of 14 wins in 18 starts, two seconds and two thirds, with earnings of $580,647. He stood his first season in 1965 at Windfields in Ontario for a $10,000 fee. While that was a high fee for Canada, few expected the chunky little bay to have much impact as a sire outside his native land.
That first crop included 1968 Canadian champion juvenile and Horse of the Year Viceregal (out of Victoria Regina, by *Menetrier), dual Canadian champion handicap horse Dance Act (*Queen's Statute, by Le Lavandou), top-class grass stayer One for All (out of Quill, by *Princequillo), 1971 Widener Handicap winner True North, and 1969 Canadian Oaks winner Cool Mood (Happy Mood, by *Mahmoud).
Therefore, when Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien went to the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's yearling sale in 1968 to buy a Windfields-bred *Ribot colt for Charles Engelhard, he knew that the sire of a striking bay colt out of Canadian Oaks winner Flaming Page, by Bull Page, could sire runners.
O'Brien did not like that *Ribot colt, Northern Monarch, but he loved the Northern Dancer colt out of Flaming Page, and bought him for $84,000. That colt was Nijinksy II, only winner of the English Triple Crown (in 1970) in the last 65 years.
The sale of Nijinksy II and his subsequent achievements turned out to be the turning point of Northern Dancer's stud career. Nijinsky II made him leading sire in England in 1970, and when O'Brien joined a partnership with Robert Sangster and John Magnier after Engelhard's death, it was the progeny of Northern Dancer that the trio pursued most heartily.
The O'Brien, Sangster, Magnier team bought (or bred) and raced Northern Dancer's top-class sons The Minstrel (Fleur, by Victoria Park), Be My Guest (What a Treat, by *Tudor Minstrel), El Gran Senor (Sex Appeal, by Buckpasser), Storm Bird (South Ocean, by New Providence), Try My Best (Sex Appeal, by Buckpasser), and Sadler's Wells (Fairy Bridge, by Bold Reason).
Nijinsky II's success also made Northern Dancer too big for Canada. In 1969, he was moved to Windfields's Maryland branch, where he remained until his death in 1990; he had been pensioned in 1987. Northern Dancer's progeny fueled the bloodstock boom of the 1980s, and no-guarantee seasons changed hands for $1-million during that period. Northern Dancer led the United States sire list in 1971 and the English list in '70, '77, '83, and '84.
Nijinsky II
Nijinsky II was Northern Dancer's first-and best-international champion. Winner of the first 11 of his 13 starts, the big, powerful, sickle-hocked Nijinsky II bore a strong physical resemblance to the Bull Lea-line ancestors of his dam but displayed every bit of Northern Dancer's fire and electricity. Standing at Claiborne Farm, he was almost as successful as his sire, leading the English sire list in 1986.
More a sire of stayers than of speed horses, Nijinsky II was never as prominent on the American list, with a third in 1987 his high-water mark, but he led the American broodmare sire list in 1993-'94. Not long after his death in 1992, he surpassed his sire's record for stakes winners, with a career total of 155 stakes winners from 862 foals (18%).
That number included 11 champions and 100 group or graded winners, including 1987 Horse of the Year Ferdinand, 1983 French champion Caerleon, dual English champion Ile de Bourbon, undefeated 1982 Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) winner Golden Fleece, undefeated 1995 Epsom Derby winner Lammtarra, 1986 Epsom Derby winner Shahrastani, 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Royal Academy, and Green Dancer.
His best American son, Ferdinand, was an abject failure at stud, but Caerleon led the English sire list in 1988 and '91. Green Dancer led the French list in 1991, and both still have top-class sons at stud. Ile de Bourbon sired only one significant horse, 1988 Epsom Derby winner Kahyasi, whose 23 stakes winners include classic winners Zainta and Vereva.
Nijinsky II was by no means as good a sire of sires as Northern Dancer, but with Kahyasi, Green Tune, Lammtarra (in Japan), Hernando (Fr), and numerous other sons and grandsons at stud, his branch of Northern Dancer is still very much alive.
First sons
Although Northern Dancer was to become the greatest sire of sires of the century, his two best first-crop sons were only modestly successful. The unsound Viceregal flopped in Canada but sired two fast German horses, Esclavo and Solarstern, after his export to France. One for All did better, siring 30 stakes winners, including The Very One, but his tendency to sire grass-loving stayers did not endear him to American breeders.
Viceregal's full brother, Vice Regent, from the same second crop as Nijinsky II, was an entirely different type than his elegant, refined brother and nowhere near as good a racehorse.
He became an extraordinary sire in Canada, however, leading the domestic sire list. His best offspring, Canadian Horse of the Year and U.S. champion two-year-old male Deputy Minister, led the U.S. general sire list in 1997 and '98. Deputy Minister's early sons Silver Deputy and Salt Lake have done well at stud, while his higher-class sons Awesome Again and Touch Gold are too young to evaluate. Still, the best should be yet to come from Vice Regent's branch of the line.
The stud success of the nonstakes winner Vice Regent and of his good but far from outstanding runners Northern Jove (Junonia, by Sun Again) and Northfields (Little Hut, by Occupy) from his third crop signaled breeders that almost any son of Northern Dancer was worth a shot at stud. Winner of the minor Flintstone Stakes, Northern Jove sired 1978 champion two-year-old filly Candy Eclair, and his high-class son Equalize led the Argentine sire list in 1998.
Northfields was a better racehorse than Northern Jove, winning the Louisiana Derby, and the half brother to outstanding Irish sire Habitat won a place at stud in Ireland. He took every advantage, siring 50 stakes winners, but his primary influence has been as an outstanding broodmare sire.
Lyphard in fourth crop
Northern Dancer's fourth-crop son Lyphard (Goofed, by *Court Martial) was even smaller than his sire and possessed very similar abilities. Trained by Alec Head, Lyphard was one of the best two-year-olds in France in 1971 and won the Prix de la Foret and Prix Jacques le Marois (both now Group 1) at three.
Standing first at Head's Haras de Quesnay and then at Gainesway Farm, Lyphard was one of the best sires of the 1970s and '80s, leading the French sire list in 1978 and '79 and the U.S. list in 1986.
Lyphard's best European-raced son, Dancing Brave, was an inconsistent stallion, but he sired 1993 Epsom Derby winner Commander in Chief, now a promising young stallion in Japan. Lyphard's best American son, Manila, suffered from the prejudice against American grass horses, but Manila's best son Bien Bien has shown promise as a sire of grass stayers and is now in England.
Lyphard sired 115 stakes winners from 842 foals (13.6%), and his line still persists regionally in South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil. Lyphard is also responsible for the most genetically distant leading sire from the Northern Dancer line. His great-grandson Linamix (by Mendez, by Bellypha [Ire], by Lyphard) led the French sire list in 1998.
Another diminutive son, the white-faced, inbred (3x2 to Nearctic's dam, *Lady Angela) Northern Taste (Lady Victoria, by Victoria Park), also won the Prix de la Foret (Fr-G1) in 1974 and led the Japanese sire list 11 times. Northern Taste's male line has so far managed to withstand the onslaught of Sunday Silence's dominance in Japan.
The Minstrel
Be My Guest and The Minstrel were both purchased as yearlings in 1975 by O'Brien and partners. Though The Minstrel, a three-quarter brother to Nijinsky II, was clearly the better of the two on the racecourse, winning the Epsom and Irish Derbys and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-G1) in 1977, it was Be My Guest who became the foundation rock of Coolmore Stud. Leading sire in England when his first-crop son Assert (Ire) was a three-year-old in 1984, Be My Guest has intermittently produced top-level horses throughout a long career, but his line does not appear likely to persist.
The Minstrel's best son, L'Emigrant, failed at stud, but the less talented Palace Music sired two-time Horse of the Year Cigar as well as Australian Group 1 winner Naturalism. Cigar's infertility probably sounded the death knell for The Minstrel's line.
American-raced Topsider, another member of the 1974 crop, was much less accomplished, winning only one sprint stakes, but he was a very effective stallion at Claiborne, siring 63 stakes winners. Topsider's male line is unlikely to persist, but his grandson Wing Arrow (by Assatis), however, recently won the first Japan Cup Dirt.
The beautifully bred Sovereign Dancer (Bold Princess, by Bold Ruler) was a modest racehorse, placing but not winning in stakes, but was far more effective as a stallion, first in Florida, then in Kentucky. Sire of Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Gate Dancer while in Florida, Sovereign Dancer sired 56 stakes winners from 592 foals (9.4%).
Sovereign Dancer's French-trained son Priolo is sire of French champion Sendawar, who was recently retired to stud, while Sovereign Dancer's second Preakness winner, Louis Quatorze, is at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
The first of Northern Dancer's two top-class sons out of the Buckpasser mare Sex Appeal, Try My Best, was the best two-year-old in England and Ireland in 1977 but did not train on at three. Markedly back at the knee, he was an inconsistent stallion who got one outstanding son in Last Tycoon (Ire).
Champion sprinter in Europe and winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) in 1986, Last Tycoon has led something of a checkered career as a stallion, standing in Ireland, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand at one time or another. Leading sire in Australia in 1993, Last Tycoon has not yet gotten a son who appears likely to extend the line.
Fabulous Dancer (Last of the Line, by The Axe II) never reached the top of the tree as a racehorse but led the French sire list in 1992. His fillies were rather better than his colts. Northern Baby (Two Rings, by Round Table) was fairly successful on the racecourse, winning the 1979 Champion Stakes (Eng-G1), but was not quite as effective at stud. Neither line is likely to survive.
Danzig
In many ways it was the incredible success of Danzig (Pas de Nom, by Admiral's Voyage) that put the seal on Northern Dancer's reputation as a sire of sires. Although undefeated in three sprints at two and three, Danzig never contested a stakes race and got his opportunity at Claiborne Farm largely through the connection of his trainer, Woody Stephens, to the Hancock family.
Danzig sired 1984 juvenile champion Chief's Crown and Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) second Stephan's Odyssey in his first crop, had Belmont winner Danzig Connection in his second crop, and never looked back. His three consecutive sire championships in 1991-'93 constituted the longest run of dominance in the U.S. since Bold Ruler's seven consecutive years of leadership in the 1960s.
Danzig also appears to be the best sire of sires among Northern Dancer's sons. His Danehill has led the Australian list four times and is highly respected in the Northern Hemisphere as well. Danzig's sons Belong to Me, Boundary, Chief's Crown, Green Desert, Pine Bluff, Polish Precedent, and others have all proved that they can sire top-class runners. Also making clear that Danzig's branch is here to stay are grandsons such as Grand Lodge, sire of Sinndar; Desert Sun, sire of Sunline; and Danehill's son Danzero in Australia.
If Danzig demonstrated that Northern Dancer's sons did not have to be racecourse champions to succeed, Nureyev (Special, by *Forli) came from the other end of the expectation spectrum. The top-priced yearling of his year, Nureyev finished first in his three starts (like Danzig), but all were stakes events, culminating in the 1980 Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1). Though he lost that race in the steward's room and never ran again because of a wind infirmity, Nureyev had proved his brilliance, and after one year at stud in France was reimported to stand at Walmac International.
Theatrical (Ire), his best son from that one French-sired crop, remains the best son of Nureyev at stud to date, but his best son, 1997 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) winner Peintre Celebre, is too young to evaluate. Top miler Soviet Star has handed the line on to 2000 freshman sire Ashkalani, and Nureyev's good sons Robin des Bois, Polar Falcon, and Fadeyev have all had their moments.
Storm Bird
A high-priced yearling like Nureyev, Storm Bird earned champion two-year-old honors in England and Ireland in 1980 but was mysteriously attacked by a stable hand before he could run at three. Though not seriously injured, the high-strung colt never regained his form. A good sire of racehorses, Storm Bird has become an even more important sire of sires, numbering 1999 leading sire Storm Cat and successful sires Bluebird and Summer Squall among his best runners.
Storm Cat is the world's number-one commercial sire, and his sons now are all the rage among breeders although he has had few real opportunities to date to prove that his sons will succeed at the top level.
Dixieland Band (Mississippi Mud, by Delta Judge) was several pounds below top class as a racehorse, counting the 1984 Massachusetts Handicap (G2) as his best win, but he has exceeded expectations as a stallion. Sire of 83 stakes winners from 771 foals (10.8%), he rarely sires anything really top class but delivers graded winners with great consistency.
El Gran Senor ranks second only to Nijinsky II as a racehorse among Northern Dancer's sons. Champion two- and three-year-old in England and Ireland, El Gran Senor had his stud career compromised by substandard fertility. Still, he sired a very high percentage of stakes winners (12.5%) even though breeders were understandably reluctant to send him their best mares. None of his good sons has yet shown much indication of carrying on his line.
Sadler's Wells
El Gran Senor's stablemate and contemporary, Sadler's Wells (Fairy Bridge, by Bold Reason), was not quite so brilliant, but he has become Northern Dancer's most dominant son at stud. Sire of a long succession of top-class milers and middle-distance horses, Sadler's Wells has led the English sire list a 20th century-record nine times, the last eight in succession. The Coolmore-based stallion also has led the French list twice. Sadler's Wells's percentages are not quite as high as those of Nijinsky II, Danzig, or Nureyev, but they are remarkable considering the large books of mares he serves annually.
Sadler's Wells's sons Fort Wood, In the Wings (GB), Saddlers' Hall (Ire), and Scenic (Ire) have all sired top-class sons, securing his branch of Northern Dancer well into the 21st century.
Sadler's Wells's once-raced full brother Fairy King is a different physical type, and the racing character of his offspring is quite different from that of Sadler's Wells's progeny. Fairy King is much more likely to sire specialist milers and less likely to sire 1 1/2-mile winners than his brother, but, because of his brief racing career, he had to make his own way early in his stud career.
He did so brilliantly with fast two-year-olds in his first two crops. With better mares, the number of middle-distance runners increased, and Fairy King led the French sire list in 1996, the year his best son Helissio won the Arc. Fairy King's Irish classic winner Turtle Island has already sired Two Thousand Guineas winner Island Sands, and his modest son Bartok (Ire) has shown promise in California.
Unfuwain (Height of Fashion [GB], by Bustino) was Northern Dancer's last good son, and though he never reached the heights of his half brother Nashwan, he has proven to be a better sire. Rather one-paced as a racehorse, Unfuwain has sired good winners over all distances, and his champion son Alhaarth is now at stud in Ireland.
A place in history
Few, if any, stallions have ever sired as many good stallion sons as has Northern Dancer. His male line ancestor Phalaris sired five top stallions in Pharos, Fairway, *Pharamond II, *Sickle, and Colorado. Phalaris's grandson and Northern Dancer's grandsire, Nearco, sired *Nasrullah, *Royal Charger, Dante, *Amerigo, and Nearctic.
*Nasrullah, probably the next best sire of sires of the century, got Bold Ruler, Never Bend, Red God, Grey Sovereign, Never Say Die, and Nashua.
Northern Dancer can count at least ten sons as truly outstanding sires: Be My Guest, Danzig, El Gran Senor, Fairy King, Lyphard, Nijinsky II, Northern Taste, Nureyev, Sadler's Wells, and Vice Regent.
His place in history is secure.
John P. Sparkman is bloodstock/sales editor of Thoroughbred Times.
