Northern Dancer: A Compact and Powerful Racehorse Who Became a Global Phenomenon

Northern Dancer, the famous Canadian racehorse, was not fazed by the regular deliveries of hay to Windfields Farm where he was stabled. However, he would become extremely agitated and rambunctious whenever a van carrying a mare approached the breeding shed. The farm manager, Benny Miller, recalled that Northern Dancer would rear up, place his front legs on the door sill, and whinny loudly as the mare was unloaded. He behaved as if he wanted to mate with every mare on the farm. To calm him down, the handlers moved Northern Dancer to the back of the stallion barn.

Despite his small stature - standing only 15.1 hands tall - Northern Dancer was built more like an old Quarter Horse than a sleek Thoroughbred. When he was offered for sale as a yearling in 1962, he went unsold at the $25,000 price. But two years later, in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby, Northern Dancer shocked everyone by breaking the 89-year-old track record with a blistering two-minute flat run, becoming the first Canadian-bred horse to win the prestigious race.

Two weeks after his Kentucky Derby victory, Northern Dancer went on to sweep the Preakness Stakes. He then finished third in the Belmont Stakes, with some arguing that the jockey, Bill Hartack, misjudged the pace. Shortly after, Northern Dancer returned to his native Canada and won the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack. However, he suffered a strained tendon in that race, cutting his greatness short. Despite this, Northern Dancer won 14 of his 18 races and never finished worse than third.

But Northern Dancer's greatest impact was yet to come. He went on to become one of the most influential American stallions of all time. His breeder and owner, Edward Plunket (E.P.) Taylor controlled a massive brewing empire that generated $2 billion in revenue in 1966. When Northern Dancer retired, he initially stood for $10,000 at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Canada. He was an incredible sire, producing 16 winners from 18 starters, 10 of which were stakes winners.

A Celebrity like no other

After four breeding seasons in Canada, Taylor set his sights on the top broodmares in the United States. Rather than standing Northern Dancer in Kentucky, Taylor decided to establish Windfields' American breeding operation in Chesapeake City, Maryland. This was based on Taylor's familiarity with the region from his visits to Mrs. Allaire du Pont's Woodstock farm, where the legendary racehorse Kelso was dominating. On one such visit, Mrs. du Pont suggested that Taylor purchase a neighbouring farm, which he did in July 1968, setting up Windfields' American base.

In 1970, the colt Nijinsky II, who was bred in Ireland by the Canadian-owned stallion Northern Dancer, won the prestigious English Triple Crown - the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and St. Leger Stakes. Nijinsky was named Horse of the Year in both England and Ireland, and this led to a high demand for offspring of Northern Dancer.

Northern Dancer proved himself to be a highly influential sire, leading the sire lists in North America in 1971 and in England in 1970, 1977, 1983, and 1984. He sired a then-record 147 stakes winners, and 49 of his yearlings sold for $1 million or more. His stud fees rose dramatically over the years, reaching $500,000 by 1984, though some private deals saw fees as high as $1 million.

In 1981, Northern Dancer was offered for sale for the astounding price of $40 million, even though he was already 20 years old at the time. By the time he retired at age 26, his lifetime stud fees had reached over $117 million.

During the early 1980s, his yearlings were highly sought after, with wealthy international buyers like Ireland's Coolmore Stud and Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed engaged in a bidding frenzy. In 1984, 14 of his yearlings averaged a record-breaking $3.3 million per horse.

Northern Dancer was a legendary sire who commanded astronomical stud fees and whose offspring were tremendously valuable on the sales market, making him one of the most influential and commercially successful racehorses of all time.

Dancer’s Character

Just outside the village of Chesapeake City, Northern Dancer would roam his expansive kingdom. The farm manager recalled that initially, they were not allowed to turn Northern Dancer out to pasture in Canada, so he would find creative ways to entertain himself in his stall, like putting his feet in the feed tub or standing on the stall doorway. Once he was finally allowed out to the pasture, he would get very excited if he saw anything unusual, like the fox hunters in the distance, and the staff would have to retrieve him as he'd be running frantically along the fence line. This competitive and determined nature was just part of his character.

Northern Dancer was syndicated with 32 shares at $75,000 each, plus 4 extra breeding rights, so his normal book was 36 mares per season. This was a relatively low number compared to other early stallions who would cover 50-55 mares. Restricting his book helped maintain Northern Dancer's vigour and health, which allowed him to have such a long stud career. It also made his offspring highly sought after, as there would only be around a dozen yearlings sold per year.

The farm manager described him as very confident and proud, prancing out of the breeding shed "like the pony in the circus." Despite being a relatively small horse, he was tough and stubborn, traits he passed on to his champion offspring. He did not even realise he was small, making up for it with his sheer bulk and determination.

Security Changes

Northern Dancer's offspring shared his distinctive dark bay coat colour and preference for running on grass courses. After the huge success of Nijinsky II, renowned Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien partnered with Robert Sangster and John Magnier to establish Coolmore Stud and focused on breeding horses with Northern Dancer's desirable genetic traits.

Windfields Farm is the only breeding operation to produce and sell at auction three Epsom Derby winners - Nijinsky II, The Minstrel, and Secreto - all of whom were sons of Northern Dancer and successful sires themselves.

Other top racehorses like El Gran Senor, Storm Bird, and Sadler's Wells were all national champions. Sadler's Wells dominated European breeding from 1990 until his retirement in 2008, surpassing all other stallions.

Northern Dancer's descendants, including his sons, grandsons, and great-grandchildren, have won prestigious races like the Irish Derby, Prix du Jockey Club, Triple Crown events, and Breeders' Cup races. His impact is felt worldwide, even in places as distant as Brazil and Japan.

The high-profile kidnapping of the champion racehorse Shergar from the Aga Khan's stables in Ireland led to heightened security measures at Windfields Farm, where Northern Dancer and other top stallions stood. Farm manager Miller described the dramatic contrast from the previous open-door policy that welcomed many visitors.

Windfields' owner, the business tycoon E.P. Taylor, had estates in several countries but considered the Maryland farm his flagship property. At its peak, the farm employed over 100 people during the breeding season. Taylor took a personal interest in the horses, making observations about their potential and enjoying quiet conversation with the staff.

Taylor suffered multiple strokes while in the Bahamas in 1980 and never left again. He was unaware of the glory years when his Northern Dancer's offspring dominated the Keeneland sales.

After Taylor's strokes, his son Charles took over the family's Windfields Farm business. But when Northern Dancer retired in 1987, the lucrative breeding rights income dried up. In a surprising move, Charles closed down the entire Windfields operation in 1988.

Northern Dancer, one of the greatest sires in history, passed away in 1990 due to colic. He was buried at Windfields, the farm where he was born and launched his legendary stud career. Though the Windfields business had shuttered, Northern Dancer's immense global influence on the Thoroughbred industry lived on long after his death.