Broadway Dancer (foaled 16 February 1972) was an American-bred, French-trained

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. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. Between June 1974 and August 1975 she raced six times, winning twice. As a two-year-old she won on her debut before being narrowly beaten in the

Prix Robert Papin The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take ...

before recording an emphatic six-

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

success in the

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to ...

. Although she did not race again in 1974 she was the highest-rated juvenile filly of the season in both the official French Handicap and the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

ratings. After running third when favourite for the

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...

on her three-year-old debut she ran poorly in two subsequent races and was retired from racing. She was not a success a broodmare.

Background

Broadway Dancer was a small bay mare with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her left hind leg bred in Kentucky by the Nickols Brothers. She was one of many important winners sired by the Canadian-bred

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

, who won the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

in 1964 before becoming one of the most successful breeding stallions in Thoroughbred history. Broadway Dancer's dam Broadway Melody, was a high-class racemare who finished second in the

Queen Mary Stakes The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a distance o ...

in 1966 and the

Jersey Stakes The Jersey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...

in the following year. Broadway Melody was a half-sister to the dam of the

King's Stand Stakes The King's Stand Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled t ...

winner

African Song African Song (19 March 1977 – after 1993) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was inexpensively bought as a yearling and had a brief racing career which comprised only five races in a four-month period i ...

and a distant relative of the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

winner

Marienbard Marienbard (foaled 1997) was an Ireland, Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse best known for his win in the 2002 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Background Marienbard is a bay horse bred in Ireland by Saif Ali. He was sir ...

. The filly was acquired by

Daniel Wildenstein Daniel Leopold Wildenstein (11 September 1917 – 23 October 2001) was a French art dealer, historian and owner-breeder of thoroughbred race horses. He was the third member of the family to preside over Wildenstein & Co., one of the most succes ...

and was sent to France to be trained by the Argentinian

Angel Penna Sr. Angel A. Penna Sr. (September 30, 1923 –January 15, 1992) was an Argentine-born U. S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. Penna was an international trainer who worked and raced on three continents. He conditioned more than 250 ...

Racing career

1974: two-year-old season

Broadway Dancer made a successful racecourse debut at Chantilly Racecourse in June when she was an impressive winner of

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over 1100 metres. She was then moved up sharply in class and matched against colts in the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

over the same distance at

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

on 28 July. Ridden by

Yves Saint-Martin Yves Saint-Martin (born 8 September 1941 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history. ...

she started at odds of 7/2 and finished second, beaten a neck by the colt Sky Commander. On 18 August, at

Deauville Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy ''région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River t ...

, faced Sky Commander again in the Prix Morny. Partnered again by Saint-Martin she started the 4.7/1 second favourite behind the

Prix Yacowlef The Prix Yacowlef is a Listed flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly Racecourse over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take ...

winner Free Round, Broadway Dancer was restrained in the early stages before drawing alongside the leaders 200 metres from the finish, before accelerating away from her rival and winning by six lengths from Princesse Lee. Broadway Dancer did not race again in 1974.

1975: three-year-old season

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Broadway Dancer started the 4/5 favourite for the

over 1600 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 4 May. Racing for the first time in eight months, she finished third of the ten runners behind

Ivanjica ) , motto = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Serbia##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , pushpin_map = Serbia#Europe , coo ...

and

Nobiliary Nobiliary (foaled 14 February 1972) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She recorded her biggest win in the Washington, D.C.International in 1975, a year in which she became (and remains) the only filly ...

. Three weeks later, the filly was moved up in distance for the

Prix Saint-Alary The Prix Saint-Alary is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred Filly, fillies. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse, Longchamp ove ...

over 2000 metres at the same course. She again started favourite but finished eighth of the twelve runners behind Nobiliary. Broadway Dancer was brought back in distance for the

Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is sched ...

over 1300 metres at Deauville on 3 August. Ridden by the Italian

Gianfranco Dettori Gianfranco Dettori (born 25 April 1941) is an Italian retired Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Dettori was born in Serramanna, in what is now the Province of South Sardinia. During his career, he won an Italian riding championship thirteen times ...

she finished unplaced behind Sky Commander.

Assessment

There was no International Classification of European two-year-olds in 1974: the official handicappers of Britain, Ireland and France compiled separate rankings for horses which competed in those countries. In the official French Handicap, Broadway Dancer was rated the best two-year-old filly of 1974, two pounds behind the leading colt Mariacci and five pounds ahead of the next-best filly Delmora. The independent Timeform organisation awarded Broadway Dancer a rating of 131, the highest given to any juvenile filly in 1974, but named

Cry of Truth Cry of Truth (foaled 1972) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a racing career which lasted from May 1974 until April 1975 she won five of her seven races. After finishing second on her racecourse debut she won her next five r ...

(rated 129) as their best two-year-old filly. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1974'', Timeform stated that Broadway Dancer was "likely to prove exceptional". In the official French Handicap for 1975, Broadway Dancer was rated fifteen pounds behind the leading three-year-old filly Ivanjica.

Breeding record

Broadway Dancer became a broodmare for Wildenstein's breeding operations. She produced several foals between 1977 and 1990 but only one minor winner. *Behave (filly, foaled 1977, sired by

Brigadier Gerard Brigadier Gerard is the comedic hero of a series of 17 historical short stories, a play, and a major character in a novel by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a Hussar officer in the French Army during the Napoleon ...

) failed to win in two races *Bombshell (bay filly, 1979, by Ashmore), failed to win in five races *Bal Royal (bay colt, 1980 by

Arctic Tern The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south a ...

), won two races *Bonnys Niece (filly, 1982, by

Great Nephew Great Nephew was a British thoroughbred who became a champion miler in France. He also became a very successful sire, producing two Derby Stakes winners.1972 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 12-g