Remembering Northern Dancer

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Updated:

April 17, 2025

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By Kathy Smith

Northern Dancer was an extraordinary horse who captured Canada’s spirit and inspired immense national pride.

Born on May 27, 1961, at E.P. Taylor’s Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Northern Dancer was initially underestimated. He was the first foal of Natalma, sired by Native Dancer, and part of the first foal crop of Nearctic. Despite his pedigree, the late-season colt, officially aged January 1 like all Thoroughbreds in the Northern Hemisphere, was younger and smaller than most of his peers. Standing just 14.2 hands as a yearling, his unruly nature and small stature led to a failure to meet his $25,000 reserve price at auction — a setback that would later prove to be a blessing.

By maturity, Northern Dancer had grown to 15.1 hands, with powerful hindquarters, agility, and exceptional speed. Over two years of racing, Northern Dancer won 14 of his 18 starts, including nine major stakes victories, and never finished worse than third.

In 1963, as a two-year-old, Northern Dancer silenced critics who mocked him as the “little Canadian horse” by winning seven of nine races and earning the Canadian Juvenile Championship. His legendary status was cemented the following year, though not without its challenges. Preparing for the Flamingo Stakes in early 1964, jockey Bobby Ussery disobeyed trainer Horatio Luro’s instruction not to use the whip. The colt finished third, but the experience left him shaken, requiring two weeks of patient retraining to rebuild his confidence.

Northern Dancer’s turning point came on February 24, 1964, in an exhibition race at Hialeah Park, Florida. With legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker aboard, his gentle and masterful touch restored the colt’s trust and spirit, leading to a decisive seven-length victory.

On May 2, 1964, Northern Dancer made history as the first Canadian-bred, Canadian-owned horse to win the Kentucky Derby. From post position seven, he stormed to victory in a record-breaking two-minute dash under jockey Bill Hartack, captivating the racing world. Two weeks later, he secured the Preakness Stakes, followed by a triumph in the Queen’s Plate, which would be his final race. A bowed tendon in July during a workout at Belmont Park ended his racing career. At the time of his retirement from racing, he had earned over $580,000, a Canadian-bred record, and held titles including US Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, Canadian Horse of the Year, and Canadian Athlete of the Year. To this day, Northern Dancer is the only horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Queen’s Plate.

Related: How Horses Shaped Canada

Like his sire Nearctic and grandsire Nearco, Northern Dancer had a fiery temperament and a dominant personality. While some called for him to be gelded, Taylor’s decision to keep him intact reshaped the future of Thoroughbred breeding. From 1965 to 1990, Northern Dancer became the most influential sire of modern Thoroughbreds, producing 146 stakes winners and revolutionizing bloodlines worldwide. His stud fees soared to $1 million, and by 2000, his influence was unmatched. His descendants, known for their balance and acceleration, dominated the pedigrees of champions across North America and Europe. Up to 70 percent of Thoroughbred horses can be traced back to him. Yet, Northern Dancer covered only about 40 mares a year, unlike today’s stallions that service hundreds.

Windfield’s broodmare barn foreman John Sparkman described him as, “the biggest little horse I ever met, both in body and personality.” He was, “the master of all he surveyed, and you had best never forget it.”

Beyond racing, Northern Dancer became a national icon. Immortalized in Muriel Lennox’s Northern Dancer: The Legend and His Legacy, he was the first non-human inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and was also honoured in the United States Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Northern Dancer passed away from colic on November 16, 1990, at age 29. His body was returned to Windfields Farm, where his extraordinary journey began.

This small yet mighty horse, whose heart and spirit transcended his size, remains one of the greatest Thoroughbreds in history — a legend whose legacy continues to inspire generations.

The Great Northern Dancer

By Robert Ferriman

Horseracing is a sport

befitting that of Kings,

To the average person

enjoyment it to brings,

The Pride of Canada?

only one true answer,

E.P Taylor’s lightning horse

The Great Northern Dancer,

Having won many races

in his racing prime,