Editing Northern Dancer (section)

===1964: Three-year-old season===
After the Remsen, Luro gave Northern Dancer some time off to heal and had a [[vulcanized rubber]] patch applied to the quarter crack. Northern Dancer recovered quickly and reentered training in January.<ref name=Timeline /> His first race at three was on February 10, 1964, in a six-furlong prep at [[Hialeah Park]] under a new jockey, [[Bobby Ussery]], who was instructed to take it easy and not use the whip. Northern Dancer was bumped at the start and fell to the back of the pack. He recovered and steadily advanced up the rail, only to become trapped behind several horses. He was bumped again and eventually finished third behind Chieftain. Despite the instructions of Luro, Ussury had taken to his whip in the final strides of the race, which led the trainer to publicly criticize the rider.<ref name=Timeline /> "I believe in being very patient with my horses," said Luro. "I don't want punishment – under no circumstances."<ref name="SILuro">{{cite magazine|last1=Wright|first1=Alfred|title=The Continental Touch of Horation Luro|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/05/04/606807/the-continental-touch-of-senor-horatio-luro|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=6 July 2016|date=May 4, 1964}}</ref>

On February 24, Northern Dancer and Chieftain again faced each other in a public workout over seven furlongs at Hialeah. Northern Dancer broke slowly but soon took the lead and won by seven lengths in a time of 1:23{{frac|2|5}}. He continued to gallop out past the wire, completing one mile in 1:36{{frac|2|5}} and nine furlongs in 1:50{{frac|4|5}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Dancer Beats Chieftain, Trader in Hialeah Test; Canadian Colt's Stock Rises After Impressive Triumph in 7-Furlong Workout |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/25/archives/northern-dancer-beats-chieftain-trader-in-hialeah-test-flamingo.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=25 February 1964}}</ref> For his next start in the [[Flamingo Stakes]] on March 3, Northern Dancer was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey [[Bill Shoemaker]] and went off as the even-money favourite in a field of eleven. He settled into second and moved to the lead in the stretch after some gentle urging by Shoemaker, winning by two lengths over Mr. Brick, with Quadrangle a further eight lengths back in third. His time of 1:47{{frac|4|5}} was the second fastest in the history of the race, behind only [[Bold Ruler]]'s time of 1:47 flat. Shoemaker was pleased with the performance. "My little horse got a little leg weary in the last sixteenth of a mile," he said, "but that was natural. He wasn't quite so seasoned as some of the other horses."<ref name="Flamingo">{{cite web |title=Northern Dancer Takes $138,200 Flamingo by 2 Lengths |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/04/archives/northern-dancer-takes-138200-flamingo-by-2-lengths-shoemaker-rides.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=4 March 1964}}</ref>

He then entered a seven-furlong allowance race at [[Gulfstream Park]] on March 28 as a prep for the [[Florida Derby]]. Shoemaker was unable to ride due to a previous commitment, so Ycaza got the ride. Northern Dancer won easily by four lengths, equaling the track record of 1:22{{frac|2|5}}.<ref name=Allowance>{{cite news |title=Cedar Key Takes Gulfstream Race |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/29/cedar-key-takes-gulfstream-race.html |work=The New York Times |agency=The Associated Press |date=29 March 1964}}</ref> In the Florida Derby on April 4, Northern Dancer was the 3–10 favourite in a field of eight. With Shoemaker back up, Northern Dancer raced in mid-pack behind a slow pace, then started to make up ground on the rail. Shoemaker waited until the half mile pole then urged the colt on without using the whip. Northern Dancer quickly took the lead at the head of the stretch and then held off a challenge by The Scoundrel, eventually winning by a length. Shoemaker said later that the colt was improving.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=The Dancer, The Scoundrel – and Mr. Moon|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/04/13/614442/the-dancer-the-scoundreland-mr-moon|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=6 July 2016|date=April 13, 1964}}</ref> However, his time was a disappointing 1:50{{frac|4|5}}, the slowest Florida Derby since 1955. [[Joe Hirsch]] of the ''Daily Racing Form'' commented, "It did not appear that Shoemaker had a lot of horse left at the wire."<ref name="Timeline" /> Luro was satisfied with the performance though, feeling that the slow time of the race was the result of a fast workout a few days earlier in which Northern Dancer had fought restraint by the exercise rider.<ref name="FlaDerby">{{cite web |title=Northern Dancer Wins Big Gulfstream Race — Shoemaker Aboard |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/05/archives/the-scoundrel-2d-northern-dancer-wins-big-gulfstream-raceshoemaker.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=5 April 1964}}</ref>

Shortly after the race, Luro asked Shoemaker to commit to riding Northern Dancer in the [[Kentucky Derby]]. But Shoemaker instead chose [[Hill Rise]], who had won the [[San Felipe Stakes]] and the [[Santa Anita Derby]] in California. Shoemaker had never ridden Hill Rise but campaigned hard to get the mount, believing the colt represented his best chance for a Derby win. Ycaza was also unable to commit to Northern Dancer as another trainer had first call on his services. Ultimately, Luro settled on [[Bill Hartack]], who had ridden Luro's previous Kentucky Derby winner, [[Decidedly]].<ref>Hunter, pp. 101–103</ref> "I'm not upset about it at all," said Luro. "I guess Shoemaker must not have been impressed with my horse's race Saturday, but I believe it was far from his best effort."<ref>{{cite web |title=Kentucky Derby Jockeys in a Shift; Shoemaker Switches From Northern Dancer to Hill Rise for Kentucky Derby |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/07/archives/kentucky-derby-jockeys-in-a-shift-shoemaker-switches-from-northern.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=7 April 1964}}</ref>

With his new jockey, Northern Dancer was made the 1–5 favourite in a field of five in the [[Blue Grass Stakes]] at [[Keeneland]] on April 23. With Northern Dancer so heavily backed, only win betting was allowed. Northern Dancer rated in second behind a slow early pace until the head of the stretch when he coasted to the lead. Another horse, Allen Adair, made a run down the stretch so Hartack released his grip and Northern Dancer crossed the finish line in front by half a length. He completed the nine furlongs in a time of 1:49{{frac|4|5}} and galloped out the Derby distance of ten furlongs in 2:03. Hartack was satisfied with the colt's abilities. "He is a small horse," said Hartack, "but he has lots of brawn and lots of guts."<ref name="BlueGrass">{{cite web |title=Favored Northern Dancer Takes Blue Grass by Half a Length Under Hartack  |first1=Joe|last1=Nichols|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/24/archives/favored-northern-dancer-takes-blue-grass-by-half-a-length-under.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=24 April 1964}}</ref><ref>Hunter, pg. 104</ref>

====Bidding for the Triple Crown====
For the [[1964 Kentucky Derby]], run at a distance of {{frac|1|1|4}} miles, Northern Dancer drew post position 7 in a field of 12. He was the second betting choice at odds of 7–2 behind Hill Rise at 7–5.<ref name=NYT-KDerby /> In the high pressure environment leading up to the race, Luro kept the press away from the colt, even substituting a stable pony for Northern Dancer during photo sessions. Northern Dancer responded by training eagerly, with a final workout of 1:00{{frac|2|5}} on April 20.<ref>Hunter, pp. 105–107</ref>  On the day of the race, May 2, Northern Dancer was on edge. As the field reached the track, he "bounced like a rubber ball" and gave a huge buck when the band started to play "[[My Old Kentucky Home]]". He settled during the warm up, only to balk when asked to enter the starting gate. After a few tense moments, Northern Dancer relaxed and loaded quietly.<ref name=Timeline /><ref>Hunter, pp. 108–109</ref> After the break, he settled into good position on the rail around the first turn behind the early pacemakers Mr. Brick and Royal. Down the backstretch, Hartack guided him through a narrow hole into the clear and started to make up ground on the leaders. He got the jump on Hill Rise, who became tangled up in traffic as the front-runners started to fade. With a quarter mile to go, Hartack urged his colt on; Northern Dancer responded by running the next furlong in a very fast 11 seconds. He had a lead of about two lengths, but Hill Rise had gotten in the clear and started to make up ground.<ref name=SIKentucky>{{cite magazine|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=The Dancer Dazzles Old Kentucky|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/05/11/607195/the-dancer-dazzles-old-kentucky|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=5 July 2016|date=11 May 1964}}</ref> Author [[Kevin Chong]] later wrote of Northern Dancer's "short, powerful legs making like a hummingbird's wings"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Izenberg|first1=Dafna|title=Northern Dancer: a legendary Canadian horse|url=http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/living-on-the-coast-waiting-for-the-big-one/|website=macleans.ca|access-date=3 July 2016|date=17 April 2014}}</ref> as he ran down the stretch. Hill Rise closed with giant strides, but Northern Dancer prevailed by a neck in a new race record of two minutes flat that stood until [[Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat]] broke it in 1973.<ref name="KingOfCanada" /> He became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby, making front-page headlines across Canada.<ref name="KingOfCanada" /><ref name=Kocher>{{cite web|last1=Kocher|first1=Greg|title=Northern Dancer's run: 2 minutes on the track, 50 years in Thoroughbred bloodlines|url=http://www.kentucky.com/sports/horses/kentucky-derby/article44487018.html|website=Lexington Herald-Leader|access-date=3 July 2016|date=April 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>Lennox, pp. 96–97</ref>

Hartack, known for a somewhat adversarial relationship with the press, was full of praise after the race. "[Northern Dancer] is a game, hard trying little horse," he said. "He was always in good position and he ran real strong on the turns. He really did some running from the quarter pole to the eighth pole, and he was running his gamest at the wire."<ref name="NYT-KDerby">{{cite web |title=Northern Dancer Wins Kentucky Derby by a Neck|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/northern-dancer-wins-kentucky-derby-by-a-neck-yanks-lose-to.html |url-access=subscription |website=The New York Times |first=Joe|last=Nichols|access-date=8 December 2019 |date=3 May 1964}}</ref> With the [[Preakness Stakes]] being run just two weeks later, Luro was concerned that Northern Dancer would find the race more demanding, especially because the track at [[Pimlico Race Course|Pimlico]] was deep and taxing. Accordingly, he used long gallops of between two and three miles to build up stamina. Then on the Friday before the race, he "blew out" Northern Dancer with a 3-furlong workout in a brisk :35{{frac|3|5}} to sharpen his speed.<ref name="SIPreakness">{{cite magazine|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=Three for the Triple Crown|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/05/25/625173/three-for-the-triple-crown|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=5 July 2016|date=May 25, 1964}}</ref>

For the Preakness on May 16, Northern Dancer went off as the 2–1 second favourite to Hill Rise in a field of six that included the top five finishers from the Derby plus [[Quadrangle (horse)|Quadrangle]]. Northern Dancer settled into third place with Hill Rise tracking just behind. Quadrangle moved to the lead down the backstretch and Northern Dancer started to make his move around the far turn. Hartack had yet to ask Northern Dancer for his run, while the jockeys of both Hill Rise and Quadrangle were working hard to maintain their position. Turning into the stretch, Hartack hit Northern Dancer once and he surged to a commanding lead. Near the finish line, Northern Dancer started to tire but Hartack was not overly worried. "If he was tired, the horses behind us would be even more tired," he explained. Northern Dancer won by two and a half lengths. Hill Rise finished third, caught at the wire by The Scoundrel who claimed second.<ref name=SIPreakness />

Northern Dancer celebrated his actual third birthday on May 27 and was presented with a cake of carrots adorned by Canadian flags. He also received hundreds of cards wishing him success in the upcoming [[Belmont Stakes]]. Taylor felt that the horse would not mind the distance of 12 furlongs, believing that Hartack would be able to judge the pace and conserve energy. Luro was more worried, believing that Northern Dancer's best distance was between eight and nine furlongs, but hoped the horse's class would be enough to carry him the extra distance.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=One More to Make It Nine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/06/08/606850/one-more-to-make-it-nine|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=5 July 2016|date=June 8, 1964}}</ref>

With a [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]] at stake, a then-record crowd of 61,215 showed up for the [[Belmont Stakes]] on June 6, run that year at Aqueduct due to renovations at Belmont Park. Northern Dancer went off as the 4–5 favourite in a field of eight, with Hill Rise the second choice at 2–1 and Quadrangle at 13–2. With Northern Dancer under a tight hold, he and Hill Rise tracked each other for the first mile behind a slow pace set by outsider Orientalist. Quadrangle was in second, relaxed and saving ground with excellent position on the rail. After a mile in 1:39{{frac|1|5}}, Quadrangle's jockey, Manuel Ycaza, made his move, confident his horse had enough stamina to outlast the others. Hartack on Northern Dancer and Shoemaker on Hill Rise appeared to underestimate Quadrangle and did not at first respond, allowing Quadrangle to build a substantial lead into the stretch. When finally asked to run, Northern Dancer closed the gap to within half a length in midstretch. However, he then tired and was passed by Roman Brother to finish third, some six lengths behind the winner. Bill Shoemaker on Hill Rise, who finished fourth, lodged an objection against Hartack for being squeezed off on the final turn but the stewards disallowed the claim. The time of 2:28{{frac|2|5}} was just two-fifths of a second off the track record.<ref name=NYT-Belmont /><ref name="SIBelmont">{{cite web|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=SI Vault – Taken for a Virginia Reel|url=https://www.si.com/vault/issue/42846/44/2|website=www.si.com|access-date=5 July 2016|date=June 15, 1964}}</ref> Hartack said he had been worried about several horses, including Quadrangle, before the race and felt the distance was the decisive factor. Asked if he felt disappointed by the result, he replied, "How can it be a disappointment when a horse runs his heart out for you? He certainly didn't disgrace himself – not to me, anyway."<ref name=NYT-Belmont />

====Return to Canada====
In spite of the loss in the Belmont, the mayor of [[Toronto]] declared June 8, 1964, to be "Northern Dancer Day", which included a ceremony held at city hall. (The idea of a ticker-tape parade down [[Bay Street]] was nixed due to the colt's high-strung temperament.)<ref name="KingOfCanada" /><ref>Lennox, p. 104</ref> E. P. Taylor was presented with a key to the city—carved out of a carrot. Taylor presented the key to Northern Dancer when the horse arrived at Woodbine a few days later; the colt promptly ate it.<ref name=Timeline />

On June 25, Northern Dancer was the heavy betting favourite in the [[Queen's Plate]] at odds of 1–7 in a field of eight. He raced from well off the pace, trailing the field around the first turn and still in sixth down the backstretch. Hartack relaxed his hold entering the far turn, and Northern Dancer "zoomed" past the early leaders, then drew off to win by {{frac|7|1|2}} lengths. Hartack never needed the whip.<ref name=NYT-QueensPlate /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Christie|first1=James|title=Greatest sire in history would be 50 today|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/greatest-sire-in-history-would-be-50-today/article581081/|website=The Globe and Mail|access-date=5 July 2016|date=May 26, 2011}}</ref> Northern Dancer completed the race in 2:02{{frac|1|5}}, which, although more than two seconds off his time in the Kentucky Derby, was just one-fifth of a second off the race record set by [[Victoria Park (horse)|Victoria Park]] in 1960.<ref name=Timeline /><ref>{{cite web|title=Queen's Plate Facts (archived version)|url=http://queensplate.com/RacingWagering/Documents/QP-Facts-2014.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816174957/http://queensplate.com/RacingWagering/Documents/QP-Facts-2014.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 August 2016|website=queensplate.com|access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref> "My main concern was with the first turn," said Luro after the race. "You see, we were in the No. 1 post position, and it could have been tough to get around other horses at the turn." Accordingly, Hartack had restrained Northern Dancer at the start to avoid traffic problems. However, the colt's poor position made Hartack move sooner than he would have preferred.<ref name="NYT-QueensPlate">{{cite web |last1=Nichols |first1=Joe |title=Northern Dancer Wins at Toronto; Triumphs by 7½ Lengths in Rich Queen's Plate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/21/archives/northern-dancer-wins-at-toronto-triumphs-by-712-lengths-in-rich.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 December 2019 |date=21 June 1964}}</ref> Despite the easy win, Hartack felt the colt had been somewhat "dull", and possibly unsound.<ref>Hunter, pg. 119</ref>

Northern Dancer remains the only Kentucky Derby winner to also take the Queen's Plate.<ref name="ACP" />

====Aftermath====
Northern Dancer pulled up [[Lameness (equine)|lame]] after a workout at Belmont in July.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Tower|first1=Whitney|title=Quadrangle splashes ahead|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1964/08/31/608340/quadrangle-splashes-ahead|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=5 July 2016|date=August 31, 1964}}</ref> According to Luro, Northern Dancer had run with a [[Splints|splint]] on the inside of his left front leg since age two but had never before shown visible evidence of injury. The earlier symptoms of lameness noticed by Turcotte and Hartack had only manifested at full racing speed. Assistant trainer Norman Bowles later said the horse "would probably run through anything – he was a tough little man – and you never can tell when one of those things may start stinging.<ref>Hunter, pp. 99–100</ref> This time, he had developed a [[bowed tendon]]. It did not respond to treatment, and this ended his racing career.<ref name="UPI">{{cite web|last1=del Conte|first1=B.J.|title=Northern Dancer dies at 29|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/11/16/Northern-Dancer-dies-at-29/3411658731600/|website=UPI.com|access-date=12 July 2016|date=November 16, 1990}}</ref>

Northern Dancer was named the [[American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse|Champion Three-Year-Old Colt]] of 1964 in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Dancer Voted 3-Year-Old Champion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/25/archives/northern-dancer-voted-3yearold-champion.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=13 January 2020 |date=25 November 1964}}</ref> He was also named the three-year-old champion in Canada and [[Canadian Horse of the Year]].{{efn|For the Canadian awards in 1964, a requirement that a horse do its "best racing" in Canada was waived for Northern Dancer. He would not have been eligible under current rules either, which require three starts in Canada<ref>Hunter, pg. 122</ref>}}  In addition, he was named Canadian Athlete of the Year.<ref name="CHoF">{{cite web|title=Northern Dancer |url=http://horseracinghalloffame.com/1976/12/04/northern-dancer/|website=Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame |access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> He was the high weight at 128 pounds on the ''Daily Racing Form'''s American Free Handicap for three-year-olds, one pound above both Roman Brother and Quadrangle. He was also the high weight at 132 pounds on the Canadian Free Handicap, 12 pounds more than Langcrest.<ref name="Timeline" />

In his two-year racing career, Northern Dancer won 14 of his 18 starts and never finished worse than third. His earnings totaled $580,000, then a record for a Canadian-bred horse.<ref name="Klingaman">{{cite news |last1=Klingaman |first1=Mike |title=Fifty years later, Northern Dancer's genes still produce winning results |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horse-racing/bs-sp-northern-dancer-20140514-story.html |access-date=December 2, 2019 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=May 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=NYT-KDerby /> In ''[[The Blood-Horse magazine|The Blood-Horse]]'' listing of the [[Blood-Horse magazine List of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century|top 100 American Thoroughbred racehorses of the 20th century]], he was ranked number 43.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Duke|first1= Jacqueline|title=Thoroughbred champions : top 100 racehorses of the 20th century|date=1999|publisher=The Blood-Horse, Inc.|location=Lexington, Ky.|isbn=1581500246|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781581500240/page/134 134–135]|edition=1st|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781581500240/page/134}}</ref>