Dance Smartly (1988–2007) was a

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

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 ...

racemare who went undefeated in 1991 while winning the Canadian Triple Crown and becoming the first horse bred in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to ever win a

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, 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, ...

race. She was inducted into both the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

and American Racing Halls of Fame. Bred in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

by Ernie Samuel's

Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a Thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms located in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for competition hunter/jumper horses. One Sam-Son horse, Canadian C ...

, Dance Smartly was a bay

mare 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 ...

with a distinctive white star on her forehead that earned her the nickname Daisy. She was by Danzig, one of

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 ...

's most influential sire sons. Her dam was the Canadian Hall of Fame mare Classy 'n Smart by Smarten. She was trained by

Jim Day James E. Day (born July 7, 1946 in Thornhill, Ontario) was a Canadian Olympic equestrian show jumping champion

Racing career

As a two-year-old, Dance Smartly won three of five races, including the

Natalma Stakes The Natalma Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Run in mid-September, the Grade I race is run at a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on turf and is open to two-year-old fillies. In 2 ...

, and finished third in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

. She won the

Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021 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 Y ...

for Canadian champion two-year-old filly. At age three, she developed into one of the top Thoroughbreds in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, going undefeated in the 1991 racing season. In her first two starts of the year, she was ridden by

Brian Swatuk Brian Swatuk (9 July 1949Profile
at horse-canada.com, retrieved 20 December 2014 ...

to easy victories in the Star Shoot and Selene Stakes. In the remainder of her three-year-old campaign, she was ridden by American Hall of Fame jockey

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired 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 an ...

. Her victory in the

Canadian Oaks The Woodbine Oaks is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Inaugurated in 1956, it is the premier event for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies and the first leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara s ...

, Canada's most important race for three-year-old fillies, was so dominant that her owner decided to race her next against the colts. Dance Smartly became the second

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

(after Queensway in 1932) to capture the Canadian Triple Crown by winning the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

, the Prince of Wales Stakes, and the

Breeders' Stakes The Breeders' Stakes is a stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses foaled in Canada, first run in 1889. Since 1959, it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Held annually in August at Woodbine Racetrack in T ...

by a combined eighteen lengths. She next won the

Molson Export Million The Woodbine Mile is a Grade I stakes race on turf for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up held annually in mid September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. Currently sponsored by Ricoh, the Woodbine Mile offers a purse of Can$1, ...

, earning her first graded stakes victory as her previous races had been restricted to Canadian-bred horses. Preparing for the

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

, Dance Smartly started favouring her front hoof and missed several weeks of training. Despite coming into the race with only one workout in six weeks, she won easily, defeating champion older mare Queena and Versailles Treaty. Track announcer Tom Durkin called her "undefeated this year, and the undisputed queen of racing on this continent." For her 1991 performances, Dance Smartly was voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as North America's best three-year-old filly plus two

s as Canada's best three-year-old filly and the Horse of the Year. Despite being hampered by an injury to the suspensory ligament of her right foreleg, Dance Smartly raced four more times at age four, winning once against colts in the

Canadian Maturity Stakes The Canadian Maturity Stakes was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Inaugurated in 1953, the race was restricted to four-year-old horses bred in Canada. It was contested on t ...

. She also finished second by a nose in the King Edward Cup Handicap and third in the Grade I Beverly D. She then retired as the number one money-winning filly in the world, having won on both turf and dirt, and at distances of up to miles.

Stud record

As a broodmare at Sam-Son Farm, Dance Smartly produced a number of top horses, including the back-to-back

winners Scatter the Gold and

Dancethruthedawn Dancethruthedawn (foaled {{birth date, 1998, 03, 06 in Ontario) 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 ...

(who also won the

Go For Wand Handicap The Go For Wand Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race established in 1954 for fillies and mares age three and up. Raced in the fall, it is a Grade III race (Grade I before 2010) on dirt at a distance of one mile. Inaugurated in 1954 a ...

), both by Mr. Prospector. She was named the 2001 Canadian Broodmare of the Year. Dance Smartly was euthanized in August 2007 after suffering an irreparable injury related to an arthritic stifle in her paddock at Sam-Son Farm. She was 19 years old and not in foal at the time. "Dance Smartly was a once in a lifetime horse," said Tammy Samuel-Balaz, the daughter of Dance Smartly's owner. "She was magic and gave us incredible thrills as both a racehorse and a broodmare. While we were fortunate enough to have bred and owned her, she was truly Canada's horse."

Honours

Dance Smartly was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

in 1995 and into the

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. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

in 2003. In 1996, the

Dance Smartly Stakes The Dance Smartly Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race run annually during July at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade II stakes race raced on turf, it is open to horses three years of age and older Inaugurated in 1986, it was ...

was created in her honour.

Pedigree

Dance Smartly was by Danzig, the

leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in N ...

from 1991 to 1993. Her dam was Classy 'n Smart, who won the Canadian Oaks and was named the Canadian champion three-year-old in 1984. Classy 'n Smart produced several other stakes winners including

Smart Strike Smart Strike (foaled May 21, 1992 in Ontario – died March 25, 2015) was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse. The son of the Champion sire, Mr. Prospector, and out of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame mare Classy 'n Smart, Smart Strike is a ...

, a grade I winner and two-time leading sire in North America. Dance Smartly's second dam

No Class "No Class" is a song by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. It was released in 1979 in 7" vinyl pressings. The song first appeared on the 1979 album '' Overkill'', and became one of the "cornerstones" of the classic 1981 live album ''No Sl ...

was the foundation mare of Sam-Son Farms, producing six stakes winners and four champions including

Sky Classic Sky Classic (March 17, 1987 – April 30, 2015) was a Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. A son of U.K. Triple Crown champion Nijinsky, in 1989 Sky Classic won the Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male Horse in Canada but injur ...

. No Class, Classy 'n Smart and Dance Smartly were each named Canadian Broodmare of the Year.

References

{{Reflist
Dance Smartly's pedigree and racing stats

Dance Smartly at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Dance Smartly at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

August 20, 2007 obituary for Dance Smartly at ''Thoroughbred Times''

External links

ESPN Dance Smartly, Champion Filly, Dead at 19
1988 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Breeders' Cup Distaff winners Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Eclipse Award winners Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in Canada King's Plate winners Sovereign Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners Thoroughbred family 23-b