Exotic Dancer (29 March 2000 – 2 April 2009) was a French-bred

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racehorse, who was trained by

Jonjo O'Neill John Joseph "Jonjo" O'Neill (born 13 April 1952) is an Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a native of Castletownroche, County Cork in Ireland. Based at the Jackdaws Castle training establishment in England. O'Neill ...

. He had a famous rivalry with

Kauto Star Kauto Star (19 March 2000 – 29 June 2015) was a French-bred National Hunt champion racehorse trained by Paul Nicholls in Somerset and owned by Clive Smith. He was known for his versatility and longevity, being the only horse ever to be top ...

but never beat him. In April 2005, Exotic Dancer finished seventh in the

World Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and as a 50/1 outsider finished third in the Grade 1

Aintree Hurdle The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (), ...

Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. It i ...

. In December 2005 he had his first win in a novice chase at Cheltenham. Exotic Dancer had a successful 2006/07 season with three victories at Cheltenham, in the

Paddy Power Gold Cup The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of ...

, Boylesports.com Gold Cup and an 18 length victory in the Letheby and Christopher Chase. However the horse finished second in both

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

and

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

both times behind

. He ended the season with victory at Aintree where he won the Betfair Bowl. In the 2007/08 season Exotic Dancer ran five times, on each occasion beaten by Kauto Star including the King George VI Chase where Exotic Dancer finished third. Exotic Dancer began the 2008/09 season with two place finishes before completing a 20 length victory in the

Lexus Chase The Savills Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and ...

in December 2008, the horse's first win in 20 months. A contender to win the 2009 John Smith's Grand National, Exotic Dancer was pulled out to concentrate on other races. Exotic Dancer's final race was the Totesport Bowl at Aintree on Thursday 2 April 2009. He started 3 to 1 as the second favourite and finished second to Madison Du Berlais. Shortly after the race, Exotic Dancer died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in his box stall.

Notes and references

External links

* * {{Cite web, title=Exotic Dancer (FR): Career Record , publisher=Racing Post , url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/586195/exotic-dancer 2000 racehorse births 2009 racehorse deaths National Hunt racehorses Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 20-d