Dance Smartly
Encyclopedia
Dance Smartly was a Champion
Thoroughbred
Canadian
and U.S. Hall of Fame
racemare who went undefeated in 1991 while winning the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
and becoming the first horse bred in Canada
to ever win a Breeders' Cup
race.
Bred in Ontario
by Sam-Son Farm
, the bay mare
was by Danzig
(a son of Northern Dancer
), her dam was the Canadian Hall of Fame mare Classy 'n Smart
by Smarten
.
, going undefeated in the 1991 racing season. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day
, Dance Smartly became the only filly
to ever capture the Canadian Triple Crown by winning the Queen's Plate
, the Prince of Wales Stakes
, and the Breeders' Stakes
. She capped off her year at Churchill Downs
with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff
. For her 1991 performance, Dance Smartly was voted the Eclipse Award
as North America's best three-year-old filly plus two Sovereign Award
s as Canada's best three-year-old filly and the most coveted Horse of the Year
honor.
Dance Smartly raced four more times at age four, then retired as the number one money-winning filly in the world.
winners, Scatter The Gold and Dancethruthedawn
(won Go For Wand Handicap) both by Mr. Prospector
.
Dance Smartly was euthanized in August 2007 after suffering an irreparable injury in her paddock at Sam-Son Farm. She was 19 years old and not in foal at the time.
and in 2003 into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
at Saratoga Springs, New York
. Dance Smartly was named as one of the most notable fillies in Canada.
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
Canadian
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
and U.S. Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
racemare who went undefeated in 1991 while winning the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada...
and becoming the first horse bred in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to ever win a Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
race.
Bred in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
by Sam-Son Farm
Sam-Son Farm
Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...
, the bay mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
was by Danzig
Danzig (horse)
Danzig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as a leading sire. He was purchased for $310,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1978 Saratoga Yearling Sale...
(a son of Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
), her dam was the Canadian Hall of Fame mare Classy 'n Smart
Classy 'n Smart
Classy 'n Smart was a Canadian Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Sam-Son Farm, she made nine career starts, winning five and running second in three others. Although she was voted the 1984 Canadian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, her true legacy is as a Champion broodmare....
by Smarten
Smarten
Smarten was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful sire. Bred in Maryland by Jim and Eleanor Ryan and raced under their Ryehill Farm banner, he had a record of 27: 11-8-2 with career earnings of $716,426.-Early career:...
.
Racing career
Trained by Jim Day, as a two-year-old, Dance Smartly won three of five races, then at age three developed into one of the top Thoroughbreds in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, going undefeated in the 1991 racing season. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
, Dance Smartly became the only filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
to ever capture the Canadian Triple Crown by winning the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
, the Prince of Wales Stakes
Prince of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...
, and the Breeders' Stakes
Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...
. She capped off her year at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff
Breeders' Cup Distaff
The Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Distaff from its inception in 1984 through 2007, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders'...
. For her 1991 performance, Dance Smartly was voted the Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
as North America's best three-year-old filly plus two Sovereign Award
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
s as Canada's best three-year-old filly and the most coveted Horse of the Year
Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year
The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honor in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing....
honor.
Dance Smartly raced four more times at age four, then retired as the number one money-winning filly in the world.
Stud record
As a broodmare at Sam-Son Farm, she successfully produced a number of top horses, including the back-to-back Queen's PlateQueen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
winners, Scatter The Gold and Dancethruthedawn
Dancethruthedawn
Dancethruthedawn is a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse sired by leading United States stallion Mr. Prospector from Dance Smartly, a Canadian Triple Crown Champion mare and inductee of the Canadian and U.S...
(won Go For Wand Handicap) both by Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
.
Dance Smartly was euthanized in August 2007 after suffering an irreparable injury in her paddock at Sam-Son Farm. She was 19 years old and not in foal at the time.
Honours
In 1995, Dance Smartly was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of FameCanadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
and in 2003 into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
at Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
. Dance Smartly was named as one of the most notable fillies in Canada.