Native Dancer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Native Dancer
Native Dancer, the Gray Ghost
Sire	Polynesian
Grandsire	Unbreakable
Dam	Geisha
Damsire	Discovery
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	March 27, 1950
Died	November 16, 1967(1967-11-16) (aged 17)
Country	United States
Colour	Gray
Breeder	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
Owner	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II Racing colors: Cerise, white diamonds, cerise, sleeves, white cap.
Trainer	William C. Winfrey
Record	22: 21-1-0
Earnings	$785,240
Major wins
Youthful Stakes (1952) Flash Stakes (1952) Saratoga Special Stakes (1952) Grand Union Hotel Stakes (1952) Hopeful Stakes (1952) Futurity Stakes (1952) East View Stakes (1952) Gotham Stakes (1953) Wood Memorial (1953) Withers Stakes (1953) Dwyer Stakes (1953) Arlington Classic (1953) Travers Stakes (1953) American Derby (1953) Metropolitan Handicap (1954) American Classic Race wins: Preakness Stakes (1953) Belmont Stakes (1953)
Awards
American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1952) TSB/TRA Horse of the Year (1952) American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse (1953) American Champion Older Male Horse (1954) American Horse of the Year (1954)
Honours
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (1963) Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame (2014) #7 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century Statue at Centennial Park in Saratoga Springs

Native Dancer (born March 27, 1950 – died November 16, 1967) was a super famous Thoroughbred racehorse. People called him the Gray Ghost because of his unique gray coat. He was the first racehorse to become a big star on television! Native Dancer was amazing, winning championships every year he raced. He was so good that he was added to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1963. He is even ranked as the seventh best U.S. racehorse of the 20th century!

As a two-year-old, Native Dancer won all nine of his races. He was named "Horse of the Year" by many experts. When he was three, he lost only one race in his whole career, which was the 1953 Kentucky Derby. But he bounced back to win the Preakness, Belmont, and Travers Stakes. At four years old, he only raced three times before an injury made him retire. Even so, he was still named "Horse of the Year" again!

After racing, Native Dancer became a very important father horse (called a "sire"). Many of his children and grandchildren became champions too, like Raise A Native and Kauai King. His family line is now found in almost all modern racehorses!

Native Dancer's Early Life

Native Dancer was born in Kentucky but grew up in Maryland at Alfred G. Vanderbilt II's Sagamore Farm. He was a "homebred," meaning his owner also bred him. His father was a horse named Polynesian, who was known for being fast over short distances. His mother, Geisha, didn't win many races, but her father, Discovery, was a great long-distance runner.

Native Dancer got his special gray coat from his mother's side of the family. Gray horses were quite rare in Thoroughbreds back then. Most gray Thoroughbreds today can trace their gray color back to horses like Native Dancer's ancestors.

Even as a young horse, Native Dancer was special. People at the farm said he was playful and strong. He grew to be very tall, about 16.3 hands (which is about 5 feet 7 inches at his shoulder). He had a very long stride when he ran, but his legs could be a bit sensitive. His trainer, Bill Winfrey, said Native Dancer was usually calm but could be very playful and a bit of a handful sometimes!

Native Dancer's Racing Career

Native Dancer was an amazing racehorse. He won almost every race he entered!

Winning as a Two-Year-Old (1952)

In his first year of racing, Native Dancer won all nine of his races! He was named the best two-year-old horse in America. Many people even called him "Horse of the Year" even though he was so young.

• First Race: Native Dancer's first race was on April 19, 1952. He started in fourth place but then sped up to win easily by 4 and a half lengths.
• Youthful Stakes: Just four days later, he won the Youthful Stakes by six lengths. This win showed everyone he was a top young horse.
• Saratoga Wins: After a short break, he raced at Saratoga Race Course. He won the Flash Stakes, then the Saratoga Special on a muddy track. He also won the Grand Union Hotel Stakes, beating two horses who had never lost before. He finished his Saratoga streak by winning the Hopeful Stakes. His jockey, Eric Guerin, said he never worried because Native Dancer was so good.
• Belmont Futurity: In September, he won the Belmont Futurity, one of the biggest races for young horses. He even tied a world record for the distance!
• East View Stakes: His last race as a two-year-old was the East View Stakes. He won easily, seeming to have fun as he crossed the finish line. His jockey said Native Dancer only ran as fast as he needed to.

Native Dancer ended the year with nine wins and earned a lot of money, which was a record for a two-year-old back then. He was the favorite to win in almost all his races.

His Three-Year-Old Season (1953)

As a three-year-old, Native Dancer got a lot of attention, especially for the Triple Crown races. He won two big races, the Gotham Stakes and the Wood Memorial, before his famous loss.

• Getting Ready: Native Dancer trained in California. One time, he got loose and ran around, jumping over benches, but luckily he wasn't hurt!
• TV Star: His races were shown on TV, and his gray coat made him easy to spot on black and white screens. This made him the first "TV star" of horse racing!

The Kentucky Derby Loss

The 1953 Kentucky Derby on May 2 was the only race Native Dancer ever lost. He was the favorite to win. During the race, he got bumped by another horse and had to run wide (on the outside) for a while. He tried very hard to catch up, but he lost by just a head (a tiny bit) to a horse named Dark Star.

Many people blamed his jockey for the loss, saying he didn't ride Native Dancer in the best way. But the jockey said Native Dancer just didn't want to run fast early in the race. Thousands of people watching on TV were sad when he lost. He even got fan mail from kids!

Winning the Preakness Stakes

Native Dancer quickly bounced back. He won the Withers Stakes easily. Then, on May 23, he won the Preakness Stakes. He was the favorite again. He ran strong and won by a neck (a very small distance). The second-place horse, Dark Star, was injured in this race and never raced again.

The trophy for the Preakness is the Woodlawn Vase, which is very valuable. Native Dancer's owner decided not to take the original trophy home. Instead, he got a copy. This started a new tradition where the original vase stays in a museum.

Winning the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes on June 13 was another close race. Native Dancer was the favorite again. He dueled with another horse, Jamie K, for the last part of the race and won by a neck. He ran the mile and a half race very fast, making it the third-fastest Belmont ever at that time. His trainer said, "He doesn't win in a flashy sort of a way, but he keeps on winning."

Native Dancer became one of only two horses from Maryland to win two of the Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont).

Summer Victories

Native Dancer had a busy summer, winning four more big races: the Dwyer, Arlington Classic, Travers, and American Derby.

• Dwyer Stakes: He won this race easily, even though he carried more weight than the other horses.
• Arlington Classic: He won this race by nine lengths, his biggest win margin ever!
• Travers Stakes: At Saratoga, fans crowded around him like he was the president! He won this race by 5 and a half lengths.
• American Derby: His regular jockey was suspended, so famous jockey Eddie Arcaro rode him. Arcaro had doubted Native Dancer before, but after riding him, he said, "He's a big, powerful animal." Native Dancer won easily by two lengths.

After the American Derby, Native Dancer got a foot injury and couldn't race for the rest of the year. Even so, he was named the best three-year-old horse.

His Four-Year-Old Season (1954)

In 1954, Native Dancer won all three races he entered.

• Allowance Race: His first race back was an allowance race, which he won by 1 and a quarter lengths.
• Metropolitan Handicap: On May 15, he won the Metropolitan Handicap. He carried a lot of extra weight in this race, more than any other horse. He was far behind at first but then made an amazing comeback, winning by a nose right at the finish line!
• Oneonta Handicap: His last race was the Oneonta Handicap. He carried a huge amount of weight, much more than his rivals, but still won easily by nine lengths on a sloppy track.

Soon after, Native Dancer had problems with his right front foot again. Doctors found a bruise and inflammation. Because of this injury, he had to retire from racing. He finished his career with an amazing record: 21 wins out of 22 races! He earned a lot of money, ranking him fourth all-time back then.

Native Dancer was named "Horse of the Year" for 1954. He even appeared on the cover of Time magazine! Many people remember him as the first Thoroughbred horse to become a TV star.

Native Dancer's Legacy

After retiring from racing, Native Dancer became a very successful breeding stallion. He had 43 children who became stakes winners (meaning they won important races).

• Famous Children: Some of his famous children include:
  • Kauai King: Won the 1966 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
  • Raise a Native: A champion two-year-old who became a very important father horse himself.
  • Natalma: She was Native Dancer's daughter and became the mother of Northern Dancer, who is considered one of the most important stallions of the 20th century!

Native Dancer's family line, especially through his grandson Mr. Prospector, has been very successful in the US Triple Crown races. By 2008, every horse in the Kentucky Derby was a descendant of Native Dancer!

However, some people worried that Native Dancer also passed on his strong build and hard running style, which might have made some of his descendants more likely to get injured. But his owner's son, Alfred G. Vanderbilt, said that horses are famous because they are champions and strong, not because they are fragile.

Native Dancer passed away on November 16, 1967, after surgery for a tumor. He was buried at Sagamore Farm.

Honors and Recognition

Native Dancer received many honors for his amazing career:

• He was added to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1963.
• He was also inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
• Blood-Horse magazine ranked him as the #7 best U.S. Thoroughbred champion of the 20th century.
• The Associated Press ranked him #3 among the greatest racehorses of the 20th century, tied with Citation, and only behind Man o' War and Secretariat.
• In August 2015, a statue of Native Dancer was put up in Saratoga Springs. This is special because Native Dancer won all six of his races at the nearby Saratoga Race Course.