Editing Northern Dancer (section)

====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 />