Northern Dancer - part II

Sir Christopher

ONDAATJE continues his history of the legendary horse that is the cornerstone of his breed. It is estimated that seventy percent of the thoroughbreds alive today are his descendants, which includes the majority of the horses running in the biggest races around the world.

Preakness at Pimlico, Maryland. Again he went off as the 2-1 second favourite to Hill Rise in a field of six that included the top five finishers for the Kentucky Derby, plus Quadrangle. The distance was a mile and three-sixteenths. Although it carried less lustre than the Kentucky Derby, it was an unavoidable proving ground for greatness.

caught at the wire by The Scoundrel who came second.

Two weeks after Northern Dancer became the first Canadian-bred winner of the Kentucky Derby, he ran the second leg of the Triple Crown on May 16, 1964, in the

After the bell, Hartack placed Northern Dancer into third place with Hill Rise tracking just behind. Quadrangle moved to the lead down the backstretch, and Northern Dancer started to make his move down the far turn. Both Hill Rise and Quadrangle seemed to be having trouble maintaining their position. Into the stretch, Hartack hit Northern Dancer once, and he immediately moved into a commanding lead. He won easily by two and a half lengths. Hill Rise finished third,

The Belmont Stakes, on June 6, was run in 1964 at Aqueduct, as renovations at Belmont Park were being completed. Northern Dancer went off as the 4-5 favourite, with Hill Rise the second choice at 2-1 and Quadrangle 13-2. The Belmont is the longest of the Triple Crown races at a mile and a half. Horatio Luro didn’t want to run the horse. Luro explained that the Dancer had “distance limitations”. EP Taylor however insisted he run. He overruled Luro.

Training before the big race Northern Dancer hurt his left rear ankle – a seemingly harmless injury that questionably went untreated. He looked snarly – but game as ever to prove himself. Hartack however knew that the longer race might bother the smaller horse.

“If this horse takes it in his mind to run I can’t hold him. He has to react perfectly to handling today. Perfectly. If he tries fighting me … then he’ll wear himself out.”

Bill Hartack Jockey

A record crowd of 61,215 turned up for the Belmont Stakes. Northern Dancer and Hill Rise tracked each other for the first mile behind a slow pace set by the outsider Orientalist. Quadrangle was second, relaxed and saving ground on the rail. He built a substantial lead into the stretch and probably all the other horses underestimated him, including Northern Dancer. When Hartack urged him to run he did so, but he was tired and passed by Roman Brother to finish third. It was a disappointing race. Hill Rise finished fourth.

“How can it be a disappointment when a horse runs his heart out for you?

Bill Hartack Jockey

Northern Dancer was the heavy betting favourite in the Queen’s Plate in Canada’s Woodbine track on June

25 in a field of eight. He raced from well off the pace, trailing the field around the first turn, and still in sixth place down the backstretch. The crowd were worried, but Bill Hartack relaxed his hold entering the far turn and Northern Dancer sped past the other horses, and then easily won by seven and a half lengths. His time was 2:02⅕ minutes – more than two seconds off his time in the Kentucky Derby. He remains the only horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Queen’s Plate.

Northern Dancer pulled up lame at Belmont in July 1964. Both Ron Turcotte and Bill Hartack had noticed his potential injury which manifested itself only at full racing speed. He had developed a bowed tendon which did not respond to treatment and this ended his racing career. He won 14 of his 18 starts and never finished worse than third. His earnings totalled $580,000 – a record for a Canadian-bred horse.

Northern Dancer was retired to stud in 1965 at EP Taylor’s Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, for an initial fee of $10,000. Because of his small size, a ramp was built in the breeding shed to allow him to service mares taller than him.

“One of the mare’s legs is held up so that she’s standing on three legs and less likely to fight. Also a twitch or stick with a loop of rope attached to it is used to distract her. A cushioned “breeding roll” is sometimes worn on the base of the stallion’s appendage to protect his breeding partner. When the stallion mounts the mare a “tail man” wearing latex gloves often helps smooth the way.”

Kevin Chong Author, Northern Dancer

The first broodmare to be bred with Northern Dancer was Flaming Page – two years older than him and owned by Taylor. She had finished second in the Kentucky Oaks, won the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen’s Plate before developing a chipped bone in her left foreleg. She was Northern Dancer’s match in accomplishment and breeding and anyone who thought Northern Dancer’s career in thoroughbred racing and stud was over had several more surprises waiting for them.

Northern Dancer was bred to 35 mares, with 21 live foals produced in 1966. They reached racing age in 1968 and were an immediate success, including Viceregal who was named Canadian Horse of the Year. Nine others also became stakes winners –an astounding 47.6% of the crop.

Although his second crop produced only four stakes winners, the year provided a pivotal role in his breeding reputation. Nijinsky was purchased by Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien at the yearling sale for $84,000, and went on to win the 1970 English Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1935. Meanwhile, Fanfreluche was named Canadian Horse of the Yea and co-Champion three-yearold filly in both Canada and the United States.

Because of this success, Northern Dancer was moved to the Maryland division of Windfields farm in December 1968, and was syndicated in August 1970 for $2.4m. Taylor retained several shares in the stallion. Each share in the syndicate provided an annual breeding right to Northern Dancer. Because of the scarcity of his availability, Northern Dancer’s stud fee rose from $10,000 in 1965, to $15,000 in 1969, to $25,000 in 1971, to

$35,000 in 1975, to $50,000 (no guarantee) in 1978, to $100,000 in 1980, 150,000 in 1981, $250,000 in 1982, $300,000 in 1983 and $500,000 in 1984. Fees for his final years at stud (1851987) were privately negotiated, with one season selling at auction for $1m – four to five times that of his closest rival.

Northern Dancer was by far the 20th century’s most successful Thoroughbred sire. From 645 named foals, he sired 411 (63.7%) winners and 147 staked winners (22.8%). He was the 1971 leading sire in North America, and in 1977 (including international earnings). He became the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1970, 1978, 1983, and 1984.

When Northern Dancer was 20 years old, his owners turned down an offer of US $40m from a European syndicate for him.

Northern Dancer was retired from stud on April 15, 1987, when he started to experience heart problems and arthritis. When Windfields Farm in Maryland was sold, a special clause was written allowing his lifelong right to live there. On November 15, 1990, he suffered a severe colic, complicated by a strangulation of his small intestine and he was euthanised on November 16. That same day, he was wrapped in a blanket he had won during his racing career, loaded in a specially built oak coffin, and his remains brought back to Canada in a refrigerated van for burial at Windfields Farm in Oshawa. On April 16, 2018, his grave became an official heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act. year provided a pivotal role in his breeding reputation. Nijinsky was purchased by Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien at the yearling sale for $84,000, and went on to win the 1970 English Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1935. Meanwhile, Fanfreluche was named Canadian Horse of the Yea and co-Champion three-yearold filly in both Canada and the United States.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and from Northern Dancer; The Legendary Horse that Inspired a Nation (2014) by Kevin Chong.

Because of this success, Northern Dancer was moved to the Maryland division of Windfields farm in December 1968, and was syndicated in August 1970 for $2.4m. Taylor retained several shares in the stallion. Each share in the syndicate provided an annual breeding right to Northern Dancer. Because of the scarcity of his availability, Northern Dancer’s stud fee rose from $10,000 in 1965, to $15,000 in 1969, to $25,000 in 1971, to

$35,000 in 1975, to $50,000 (no guarantee) in 1978, to $100,000 in 1980, 150,000 in 1981, $250,000 in 1982, $300,000 in 1983 and $500,000 in 1984. Fees for his final years at stud (1851987) were privately negotiated, with one season selling at auction for $1m – four to five times that of his closest rival.

Northern Dancer was by far the 20th century’s most successful Thoroughbred sire. From 645 named foals, he sired 411 (63.7%) winners and 147 staked winners (22.8%). He was the 1971 leading sire in North America, and in 1977 (including international earnings). He became the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1970, 1978, 1983, and 1984.

When Northern Dancer was 20 years old, his owners turned down an offer of US $40m from a European syndicate for him.

Northern Dancer was retired from stud on April 15, 1987, when he started to experience heart problems and arthritis. When Windfields Farm in Maryland was sold, a special clause was written allowing his lifelong right to live there. On November 15, 1990, he suffered a severe colic, complicated by a strangulation of his small intestine and he was euthanised on November 16. That same day, he was wrapped in a blanket he had won during his racing career, loaded in a specially built oak coffin, and his remains brought back to Canada in a refrigerated van for burial at Windfields Farm in Oshawa. On April 16, 2018, his grave became an official heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and from Northern Dancer; The Legendary Horse that Inspired a Nation (2014) by Kevin Chong.