Dancing Time (1938–1958) was a British Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

, who raced during World War II and was best known for winning the classic

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

in 1941. After finishing unplaced in her only race as a two-year-old, the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

won the 1000 Guineas on the July course at Newmarket on her three-year-old debut. She later finished third in both the Oaks Stakes and the St Leger. After her retirement from racing she became a successful broodmare.

Background

Dancing Time was a bay mare, bred by her owner

William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely William James Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely (6 March 1868 – 28 June 1942), known as Sir William Tatem, Bt, between 1916 and 1918, was a Cardiff ship-owner and thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Career Tatem was born in Appledore, North D ...

. She was the first of two classic winners sired by Colombo an outstanding two-year-old who went on to win the 2000 Guineas in 1934. Dancing Time was the third of four foals produced by her dam Show Girl, a high-class staying racemare who won the Northumberland Plate in 1930. Show Girl's dam Comedy Star was a half-sister to The Derby winner Call Boy. Lord Glanely sent the filly into training with Joseph Lawson at his stables at Manton in Wiltshire. Dancing Time's racing career took place during World War II during which horse racing in Britain was subject to many restrictions. Several major racecourses, including Epsom and Doncaster, were closed for the duration of the conflict, either for safety reasons, or because they were being used by the military. Many important races were rescheduled to new dates and venues, often at short notice, and all five of the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

were usually run at Newmarket. Wartime austerity also meant that prize money was reduced: Dancing Time's 1000 Guineas was worth £1,184 compared to the £7,592 earned by Galatea in 1939.

Racing career

As a two-year-old in 1940, Dancing Time finished unplaced in her only racecourse appearance, a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

in June. On 1 May 1941, in only her second race, Dancing Time contested the 128th running of the 1000 Guineas which was run over the July course at Newmarket rather than its traditional home on the Rowley Mile. Ridden by Dick Perryman she started at odds of 100/8 in thirteen-runner field. Racing on firm ground she won by a length from Beausite, with Keystone two

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

away in third place. On 19 June at the same course, Dancing Time started odds-on favourite for the substitute " New Oaks" over one and a half miles. She never looked like winning and finished third of the twelve runners, beaten two lengths and three-quarters of a length by Commotion and Turkana. With

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

unavailable, a substitute " New St Leger" was run over one and three quarter miles at Manchester on 6 September. Racing against colts, Dancing Time finished third behind Sun Castle and Chateau Larose, beaten a head and a length.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Dancing Time an "average" winner of the 1000 Guineas.

Breeding record

Dancing Time was retired from racing to become a broodmare. In June 1942 Lord Glanely was killed in an air-raid and the mare was offered for sale and bought for 4,600 guineas by Joseph McGrath. She had considerable success in the breeding paddocks, producing six winners from nine foals, the best being Arctic Time, a colt who won the

Beresford Stakes The Beresford Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

and the

Gallinule Stakes The Gallinule Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and it is schedu ...

. Her unraced daughter Star Dancer became a successful broodmare. Her recorded foals were: *Young Affran, a dark bay or brown colt, foaled in 1944, sired by

Windsor Slipper Windsor may refer to: Places Australia *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area *Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wind ...

. Winner. *Royal Ballet, dark bay or brown colt, 1945, by Windsor Slipper. Winner. *Bear Dance, brown colt, 1946, by Big Game. Winner. *Dainty Dancer, bay filly, 1947, by Dante. Winner. *Ituna, brown filly, 1949, by Dante. Winner. *French Ballet, bay filly, 1950, by Prince Chevaler *Arctic Time, bay colt, 1952, by Arctic Star. Won Beresford Stakes, Gallinule Stakes. *Let It Be Me, brown filly, 1953, by Arctic Star *Star Dancer, brown filly, 1954, by Arctic Star. Unraced. Dam of Royal Danseuse Irish 1000 Guineas

Pedigree

References

{{1000 Guineas Winners 1938 racehorse births 1958 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-f 1000 Guineas winners