HORSE OF THE ISSUE: NATIVE DANCER: THE GRAY GHOST RACING CAREER: 1952 – 1954

By Eric Floyd

On March 27th, 1950, a little gray foal that would go on to shake the very foundation of American thoroughbred racing was birthed along the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky inside the confines of a palatial property named Scott Farm. Bred by distinguished horseman Alfred G. Vanderbilt and sired by 1945 Preakness Stakes Champion Polynesian, that equine who carried the name Native Dancer continues to (and will forever), garner gross reverence from those who truly idolize the “Sport of Kings”.

Affectionately nicknamed the “Gray Ghost”, Native Dancer is technically considered a “Maryland-bred” due to the fact that he was raised on Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s very own Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. Eventually maturing to 16.3 hands tall, Vanderbilt’s virtuoso was often described as a “Jekyll and Hyde” type by his trainer Bill Winfrey however given his on-track performances; Winfrey was easily able to overlook his equine’s eccentricity. those victories occurring at Saratoga Race Course’s prestigious summer meeting. That being said, the “Gray Ghost’s” piece de resistance as a sophomore occurred on September 27th, 1952 when he tied the world record time for 6 ½ furlongs (1:14 2/5) in the esteemed Belmont Futurity. Ending the year with then record earnings for a two-year old ($230,495), Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s red-hot racer as a result easily captured a rarified double (i.e. both American Champion Two-Year old Honors and American Horse of the Year Honors).

On the heels of a well-deserved sixmonth sabbatical, Native Dancer kicked off his three-year old campaign with easy victories in both the Gotham Stakes and the Wood Memorial. Turned into a television sensation overnight (since the Gotham and Wood had both aired on NBC), the “Gray Ghost” hence had an entire nation in his corner as he was loaded into stall #1 as the “odds-on” (less than even money) favorite for the 79th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Breaking from post #10 in an eleven-horse field, Dark Star (a 25-1 long shot) quickly sprinted to the lead beneath the Twin Spires while a slow starting Native Dancer struggled to find his footing way back in eighth position. Bumped hard by Money Maker as he rounded the first turn, Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s fan favorite nevertheless inched his way through the pack and into third place as the field swung onto the straightaway. Finally able to find some clear running room near the eighth pole (a vertical marker which stands an eighth of a mile from the finish line) jockey Eric Guerin then went to the whip several times but to no avail; at the wire, it was Dark Star over Native Dancer by a head. Heavily criticized for his ride aboard Native Dancer in the Derby, jockey Eric Guerin respond by talking about how his mount didn’t care for the strip he had run over. Nevertheless, most newspaper men blamed Guerin for the loss with one even saying, “…he took that colt everywhere on the track except the ladies room.” Whatever the case was, the fact remained; the “Gray Ghost” had lost for the first (and what would be the only) time in his storied career.

Subsequent to defeating Dark Star and five others in the Preakness Stakes, Native Dancer scored a neck victory in the Triple Crown’s third and final leg, the Belmont Stakes. (This feat was particularly momentous since there had never been a “Duel Classic Winner” from the state of Maryland.) A torrid summer campaign ensued however the “Gray Ghost” never broke a sweat en route to capturing: the Dwyer Stakes, the Arlington Classic Stakes, the Travers Stakes and the American Derby. Consequently, it was no surprise when Alfred J. Vanderbilt’s trophy case gained a gaudy piece that was hallmarked, “American Three-Year Old Horse of the Year”.

Ultimately competing three times as a four-year old, Native Dancer won each time out including a gutty victory in Belmont Park’s Metropolitan Handicap (this despite giving up between 13 to 24 lbs. to each of his eight rivals). Now although he’d dreamed of entering his barn’s ace in Europe’s premier routes (races like: the King George VI, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe) Alfred G. Vanderbilt humanely took the high road and retired the “Gray Ghost” when a reoccurring foot injury came back worse than ever. Conclusively riding off into the sunset with a race record of 21 wins from 22 starts, Native Dancer thus boasts a résumé that would make most any horseman grossly salivate. Equally efficient in the stud barn as he was on the strip, Native Dancer wound up siring 43 stakes winners from 306 foals. Perhaps even more impressive though is the fact that every starter in the 2008 Kentucky Derby had the “Gray Ghost” somewhere in their breeding lineage! An equine who remains “all but universal” in modern pedigrees, Native Dancer died on November 16, 1967 at age 17 and was subsequently buried where he was raised at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland.

Native Dancer Lifetime Stats

22 Starts - 21 firsts - 1 second - $785,240 earned