Chapter 25

Danzig and Nureyev (What a one-two punch)

The 1977 crop of Northern Dancer foals have probably done more to carry on the Dancer’s line than any other crop. The 1977 crop featured two of the best sires Northern Dancer would produce in Danzig and Nuryev.

Danzig was undefeated as a runner but he only raced three times before a chronic knee injury ended his racing career. Danzig was bred in Pennsylvania by William S. Farish, of Marshall Jenney’s Derry Meeting Farm before being sold at the Saratoga Yearling Sales to Henryk de Kwiatkowski for $310,000. Henryk (de Kwiatkowski) was a Polish immigrant who made his fortune buying and selling used airplanes. Woody Stephens would train Danzig for his brief racing career and be instrumental in convincing Kwiatkowski that this horse was something special and worth a shot as a stallion despite his resume missing any big stakes wins. Woody was right and by 1985 Danzig’s stud fees had risen to $250,000.

Danzig was euthanized on Jan 3,2006 at Claiborne Farm near Paris Kentucky where he was suffering from the infirmities of old age. He was 29 years old. Danzig is buried at Claiborne where he stood for his entire career as a stallion. Danzig sired 23 crops of more than 1,000 foals and is second all time to Dancer’s other son Nureyev in percentage of stakes winners. Danzig stands third in number of stakes winners behind his own son Danehill (1986) who died before his sire after a fluke paddock accident in 2003 and another Northern Dancer son Sadler’s Wells. Danzig led the American Sires List three years in a row from 1991-1993, it was only the third time in the past 100 years a horse had led the sires list three years in a row. He also led the Sires list in the United Arab Emirates and Spain. Danzig produced 4 Breeders Cup winners including Canada’s 1991 champion and Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly. He was also the grandsire of another Canadian Triple Crown winner in Wando through his Sovereign Award winning son Langfuhr. Danzig’s runners won over $100 million including a Preakness Stakes (Pine Bluff) and Belmont (Danzig Connection). A grandson, Sea Hero out of another son Polish Navy won the 1993 Kentucky Derby.

Danzig was also a leading broodmare sire and amongst his daughters was Angel Fever, dam of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.

Danzig’s last crop of foals (approximately 30), are just two year olds so his immediate legacy to the sport is still a work in progress but his grandchildren are already making as much noise as their grandfather and great grandfather in the breeding shed.

The accomplishments of Danzig’s sons and daughters could fill another book, as could the accomplishments of his grandchildren through Danehill alone. Danehill was the first sire to top 300 stakes winners despite dying in the prime of his breeding life at the age of 17. Both Northern Dancer and Danzig produced crops of foals past the age of 25 (to put Danehill’s record in perspective).

Danehill was shuttled between Australia and Ireland for Coolmore. He led the Australian Sires List for 11 years since 1993/1994 and when he finally was unseated it was by one of his sons, Redoute’s Choice in 2005/2006 who appears to be the heir apparent. Danehill finally ended Sadler’s Wells streak at 14 claiming Britain’s Leading Sire status in 2005. Danehill finished 5th on the Australian leading general sires list in 2005/2006 where he was joined by 4 of his sons who finished in the top 8. In addition to the leader Redoute’s Choice (1996), there was Desert King (1994) in 4th, Flying Spur (1992) in 6th, Commands (1996) in 7th and Lion Hunter (1992) in 8th.

I have tried to describe the incredible Makybe Diva, three-time Melbourne Cup winner who was a granddaughter of Danehill through his son Desert King. While she was about to capture the hearts of a Nation (Australia), another horse, a 7-year old gelding son of Danehill, Fairy King Prawn was being inducted into Hong Kong’s Racing Hall of Fame. He was the “peoples horse” as he paraded in front of his thousands of fans at Sha Tin Racecourse in February 2003. He gave the people of Hong Kong a great deal of excitement and pride culminating in his victory in the Yasuda Kinen in Japan. He followed that victory with one more convincing win in Hong Kong’s National Day Cup before being retired to the tribute at Sha Tin. His owner, Philip Lau Sakhong said, “He could have raced again but … he is a champion horse and that’s how we want to remember him”. Trainer Ivan Allan said, “ I was lucky to get him. He was a real racehorse and a trainer’s dream … I will never forget him” (sound familiar). While Fairy King Prawn was not the first horse in the Hong Kong Racing Hall of Fame he was the first to achieve International recognition for Hong Kong racing. In addition to the Yasuda Kinen win he also had a 2nd place finish in the Dubai Duty Free and was instrumental in putting Hong Kong Racing on the map.

The following charts list some of the top runners of Danzig and Danehill. There are just too many outstanding performers to list in any other way and this is still a work in progress for both sires. This could be the strongest branch of Northern Dancer’s line.

Claiborne Farms in Kentucky bred Nureyev. Nureyev’s dam Special (1969) had already produced an Irish Champion two year old filly in Fairy Bridge (1975) from her royal genes that traced back to the great mare Rough Shod (1944). Nureyev was expected to bring a healthy price at the July Keeneland yearling sales but no one expected the final price of $1,300,000 paid by Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos. Nureyev was sent to Europe for training where he won his only start as a two year old in the Prix Thomas Byron by six lengths. As a three year old he won his next start in the Prix Djebel before being shipped to England for the Two Thousand Guineas. Nureyev blasted his way through a wall of horses to win the Two Thousand Guineas but for the first time in the long history of the race, he was disqualified and placed last. The Epsom Derby was next on Nureyev’s schedule but a virus kept him out of that race and he would never race again. He was still declared French Champion three year old that year.

Nureyev started his career as a stallion in France before being syndicated for $14,000,000 and sent to Walmac-Warnerton Farm in Kentucky. Walmac-Warnerton would eventually split and Nureyev spent the rest of his days at Walmac International in Lexington Kentucky where he is buried today. John T. L. Jones Jr., the president of Walmac described Nureyev as “a very courageous horse”. He had fertility problems throughout his career as a stallion and almost died after an accident during the 1987 breeding season. A fracture in his right hind leg required surgery and complications left him with just a 10% chance of survival. Not only did he survive but he thrived producing another 15 crops of foals until he death Oct 29,2001 from a cancerous tumor in his right hind hoof. Jones said, “This time, there wasn’t anything we could do for him. Like great friends and great people you know, you’re going to miss them.”

Nureyev sired 135 stakes winners (17% of his foals) with over 20 of those Champions and has almost 100 active sons at stud who have produced over 16,000 foals (71% of those starters). Son Theatrical came from his first full crop in 1982. Theatrical won the 1987 Breeders Cup Turf, to cap off a long and illustrious career as Irish and American Champion. Theatrical is one of the top turf stallions in the world today with over 50 stakes winners to his credit including the three-time Japanese Champion Mare, Hishi Amazon (1991) ($6,981,902 20-10-5-0) and Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle (1997) ($2,592,706 20-6-1-6) who was put down after shattering a leg at the finish line of the 2006 Ascot Cup. Media Puzzle was another one of those horses who was an emotional magnet. When he won the Melbourne Cup in 2002 there was barely a dry eye in the house as jockey Damien Oliver saluted the heavens crossing the finish line (his brother and fellow jockey Jason died a week earlier after a spill on the track). When Media Puzzle went down at Ascot it was in front of a huge crowd that included members of the royal family. Trainer Dermot Weld said after Media Puzzle was put down “He was a wonderful servant. He overcame chronic tendon problems in the past. This was very different and sadly he is gone.”

The year Theatrical won the Breeders Cup Turf; Nureyev’s amazing daughter Miesque (1984) ($2,096,517 16-12-3-1) won her first of two back-to-back Breeders Cup Miles in record time. Miesque was a Champion mare in America, England and France over her stellar racing career and as a broodmare has already produced a Champion in the mare East of the Moon (1991) ($790,844 8-4-2-0) and an outstanding young stallion in Kingmambo (1990) ($734,804 13-5-4-2-) who has already produced many Champions and millionaires. East of the Moon died in 2006 after being struck by lightning. She had already produced 3 stakes winners.

Nureyev’s son Spinning World (1993) ($1,734,477 14-8-3-1) was a champion in France and Ireland and won the 1997 Breeders Cup Mile. Peintre Celebre (1994) ($1,496,000 7-5-1-1) was French Champion three year old winning the 1997 Arc de Triomphe in record time. Nureyev’s other principal runners (too many to list here) are listed on the following chart.

The rest of the 1977 crop of Northern Dancer’s foals were so overshadowed by the breeding success of Danzig and Nureyev that they hardly seem worth mentioning but there were some success stories. Swift Bird was a dependable race mare, placing in several stakes but most of her wins were ungraded and she had no successful offspring. Norwegian had modest success in Brazil and Venezuela as a stallion. Disconiz, Stephanie Leigh, Gold Treasure, Katsura and Tiddleypom were all successful broodmares producing several generations of winners and stakes winners. The sons Magesterial, Voodoo Rhythm, North Pole, Kick and Northern Horizon all had varying degrees of success as stallions.

Northern Dancer’s 1977 crop of foals provided a one-two punch of classic stallions in Danzig and Nureyev who have in turn provided a three-four punch in classic stallions with Danehill and Theatrical among many others who will ensure the Dancer’s bloodlines survive well into the 21st century. It’s exciting times for the Dancer offspring but there is plenty of excitement left.

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Danzig - what might have been video (3 for 3 starts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIXV-mHds5w

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Nureyev winning 2000 Guineas before being DQ'd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4urs_h4MeLs

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Leading Sire Danzig dead at 29 - article from BloodHorse

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/31576/leading-sire-danzig-dead-at-29

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Great article from DRF and Matt Hegarty on Danzig from NBC site

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/10685396/

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Nureyev Obituary from the BloodHorse - David Schmitz

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/6632/from-the-blood-horse-magazine-remembering-nureyev?id=6632

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Saving Nureyev in 1987 by Kimberly Brown - the BloodHorse

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/6788/a-look-back-saving-nureyev

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Danehill Article from Max Presnell

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/26/1056449369802.html

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Article on Danehill's death from the Age

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/13/1052591796077.html

Chapter 9

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Inaugural World Rankings

Rewind to November 2005

Makybe Diva was ranked as the 10th best thoroughbred in the world in November 2005.

In 2005, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities published their inaugural world rankings. The International Federation was officially formed in 1983 to protect the integrity of the sport and its breeding. The Federation’s roots went back to 1961 when the major international players met for the first time and now in 2005 they had developed a system to rank their best International performers. It’s shades of golf and its world rankings versus the PGA of America earnings, which used to be Golf’s primary standard for performance.

Like the sport of golf, thoroughbred racing owes a lot of its International success to the American development of the sport (despite having its roots in Europe) but also like golf, thoroughbred racing has become a “truly” International sport and the IFHA have done a great job in compiling statistics to rank the best thoroughbreds of 2005.

Here are the top thirty performers as of November 2, 2005. Twenty-nine of the thirty are direct descendants of our Dancer. The only horse who is not a direct descendant is Silent Witness, tied for thirteenth in the rankings. Ironically, Silent Witness is the only gelding in the top thirty and therefore the only horse on the list who will not be extending his or her breeding line. Silent Witness does have a strong connection to our Dancer through his sire El Moxie who is out of the Dancer’s half sister, Raise The Standard out of the Dancer’s dam Natalma.

The list represents breeding from seven different countries and the winners of every major International race in the federation’s 55 different countries. In addition to having that one common thread of our Dancer’s bloodline, the twenty-nine horses on the list share in their ability to excel at the highest level of their sport. The top 16 on the list, down to Silent Witness have a combined record of (213-112-38-21) and lifetime earnings to this point of almost $33,000,000. That is a winning percentage over 50% and top 3 finishes of over 80% against the best thoroughbreds in the world.

The ratio of direct male descendants to descendants through female lines is fairly evenly split with 55% of the descendants, direct males. Six of the twenty-nine are through the Danzig line with five of those six, direct males. Sadlers Wells, Nureyev and Lyphard have four descendants each. There are many on the list with multiple genetic links to the Dancer, I only included the first link in each case. Danehill is the most successful grandson on the list with four descendants in the top 30 but Montjeu has 2 in the top 5.

(these charts were not the greatest in my book either - click to enlarge and you should get the idea - when I update with this years rankings I will improve the charts)





Quick Link back to Chapter 8 for original book flow - hit home to return to here
http://northerndancerblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/chapter-8.html

Chapter 6

The Dancer's Place in History

The history of thoroughbreds in North America dates back to the early 1700’s. A British colony for the better part of the next century, the United States was dominated in those early years by imported sires, primarily from Britain.

American leading sires lists (by earnings) date back to 1860 when the stallion, Revenue, led the earnings list for sires with $49,450 to his credit. For the next 14 years that list would be led by the great sire Lexington, an American record that will probably never be broken. Lexington also led the list two more years in 1876 and 1878 and was very instrumental in Kentucky’s prominence as a thoroughbred breeding state. While Kentucky’s rich soil and perfect climate provided the ideal setting for the grazing thoroughbred it was the presence of the dominant sire Lexington that would attract breeders to the area and establish the blue grass state’s tradition as the hub of thoroughbred breeding in North America.

Despite his dominance as a sire, no direct male offspring of Lexington would ever lead the sires list. Lexington’s male line of descendants would eventually vanish but his genes would survive through his female descendants where almost 75% of the leading sires since Himyar (1893) carried the genes of Lexington, including our Northern Dancer. Through the Dancer’s sire Nearctic and his sire Nearco, you can trace the lines to Lexington. Nearco’s 3rd dam Sibola (1896) won the 1899 One Thousand Guineas and was the granddaughter of Lexington through his daughter Maiden (1862).

It is interesting to look back on the history of the American thoroughbred to see how its roots are traced to Europe and how some 275 years later, America is now an exporter and leading producer of thoroughbreds in the world. In the early 1900’s however, America was still an importer and what makes Nearco a bit of an oddity is that small trace of American blood through Lexington. Nearco was Italian bred with three generations of European breeding except for his 3rd dam Sibola, the American bred granddaughter of Lexington. It is fascinating today, to follow the flow of breeding from Europe to America and back again and to see the influence Northern Dancer had on that flow. Before him, his great, great grandmother Sibola was setting the trend.

Northern Dancer only led the American leading sire’s list once in 1971 but he did lead England’s sire list four times in 1970, 1977, 1983 and 1984. Some sources have Northern Dancer on top of the North American list in 1977 also but Dr Fager had more North American earnings (The Dancer had more international earnings). What has preserved Northern Dancer’s place in history has been his success as a sire of sires with what has become the most dominant male line of thoroughbreds in the world today.

Lexington’s record of 14 straight years atop the leading sires list in America may never be touched but Northern Dancer’s son Sadler’s Wells has led England’s sire list for the past 13 years straight (1992-2004), he also led the American list in 1995. Lyphard was the first of Dancer’s sons to lead the American sires list in 1986. The Dancer’s son, Danzig led the American sire’s list three straight years from 1991-1993 while another son, Storm Cat led the list in 1999 and 2000 and sandwiched in between are grandsons Deputy Minister in 1997, 1998 and Palace Music in 1996. In fact, since 1991 only two of America’s leading sires do not have Northern Dancer’s genes (Broad Brush 1994 and Kris S. 2003). The Dancer’s son, Vice Regent was Canada’s leading sire for thirteen years.

France’s leading sire list has been occupied by sons of Northern Dancer 9 times. Lyphard (1978, 1979), Nureyev (1987, 1997), Sadler’s Wells (1993, 1994, 1999), Fabulous Dancer (1992) and Fairy King (1996). The next generations, Montjeu and Linamix have led the French sire’s list 2 of the past 3 years.

The Dancer’s offspring were also successful breeding outside North America and Europe. Son Northern Taste led the Japanese sire’s list 10 times (eight years in a row 1985-1992). Grandson Danehill led the Australian sire’s list 9 of the past 11 years.
In Argentina, grandson Southern Halo from daughter Northern Sea led the sires’ list 8 years in a row from 1994-2001 and again in 2003. In New Zealand it’s great grandson Volksraad leading sires for the past 3 years (2002-2004) and before him grandson Zabeel led 4 years in a row from 1998-2001. India’s leading sire for 6 of the past 8 years has been Northern dancer’s son Razeen. Venezuela’s leading sire from 2001-2003 was grandson George Augustus. South Africa’s leading sire for 2 of the past 3 years has been great grandson Western Winter and before him, grandson Fort Wood (1998) and son Northern Guest in 1989.

Northern Dancer’s line will survive well into the 21st century and he has solidified his place in the history of thoroughbred racing.

Every year countries have various ways of recognizing their thoroughbred champions. Here is a compiled list of Leading International sires by country or region for 2005 where Northern Dancer’s bloodlines are present. There are 23 countries or regions represented here from Argentina to Zimbabwe.