Happy 50th Birthday Northern Dancer

[HoofedInTheChest]

May 27, the date of what would have been the Dancer's 50th birthday, is still the greatest thoroughbred to come out of Canada.
Northern Dancer was the first Canadian-bred winner of the Kentucky Derby. He also won the Preakness, but was foiled in his bid for the Triple Crown, in the Belmont Stakes, finishing third. He would later win the Queen's Plate back in his home country.

He is also regarded as the most influential thoroughbred sire of the 20th century. In this years running of the Kentucky Derby, 18 of 19 horses had lineage back to Northern Dancer.

Happy Birthday ol Boy

[nijinski]

Not a very big horse in size , but he certainly had it all !!!
Doubt his record stud fee will ever be matched !
Fifty Years since he was born wow! Happy 50th in heaven!!

[CryingForTheHorses]

As a kid growing up on the backside of woodbine,Northern Dancer was always the talk of the track.Great pics of him in the track kitchen.What a horse and what a story.Thankyou Mr Taylor for breeding him..He will always be "The little horse that could"

[nijinski]

It's a shame Windfields had to be sold and dismantled . I know they promised
to preserve the grave of Northern Dancer and the other horses buried there.
I hope this remains true.

[HoofedInTheChest]

It's a shame Windfields had to be sold and dismantled . I know they promised
to preserve the grave of Northern Dancer and the other horses buried there.
I hope this remains true.

Windfields Estate was the home of E. P. Taylor and was situated at 2489 Bayview Avenue in North York, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. It now houses the Canadian Film Centre, founded by filmmaker, Norman Jewison. The 10 hectare (25 acre) estate has been preserved as a heritage site.

Thoroughbred burials at Windfields Farm in Oshawa include:

Archers Bay (1995–2002)
Canadiana (1950–1971)
New Providence (1956–1981)
Northern Dancer (1961–1990)
South Ocean (1967–1989)
Vice Regent (1967–1995)
Victoria Park (1957–1985)
Windfields (1943–1969)

[usedtolovetvg]

Long before Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky, Northern Dancer was the first Canadian International Sports Star. Canadians rallied around this diminutive athlete and he gave us all a sense of pride as he battled the best that the U.S. had to offer. What he did in the breeding shed far outweighed what he accomplished on the track. His impact in the International Racing Scene was to be felt for generations. I had the pleasure of not only seeing him race but visited him several times in both Canada and Maryland. He was the reason that I fell in love with the sport.

[Cardus]

I don't have his past performances or other information in front of me, but wasn't the Queen's Plate three or four weeks after the Belmont Stakes?

It was one of those, if memory serves. It adds to the legend.

[usedtolovetvg]

The Queen's Plate was run toward the end of June if memory serves correct. That would put it in the 3 week range. He crushed the field; all of that on a bad ankle. E.P. Taylor wanted to showcase him in Canada, at the track he built.