Hula Dancer (foaled 1960 in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

) was an American-bred French-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

Background

Hula Dancer was a grey mare sired by

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television ...

. Owner Gertrude Widener raced

Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was the light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York a ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and brought him to the United States to stand at

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

where he sired Hula Dancer's dam, Flash On. Mrs. Widener began shipping over a few yearlings every year starting in 1956. She had quite a bit of success with her American bred yearlings winning all of France's top two-year-old races and she also bred the filly Right Away by Right Royal who won the French 1000 Guineas ( POULE DESSAI DES POULICHES) in 1966. She also bred and raced Dan Cupid who went on to sire the great SeaBird II and Dankaro among others. Gertrude Widener sent Hula Dancer to trainer Etienne Pollet at his stables at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred grass, turf race track, racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the ...

in France.

Racing career

Racing as a two-year-old in 1962, she defeated colts while winning the

Prix de la Salamandre The Prix de la Salamandre was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it was scheduled to take place each year in Se ...

and the

Grand Critérium Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

, two of France's most important races for her age group. Her win in the Grand Criterium was sensational. She broke the track record for 1 mile at Longchamp in 1:36 and defeated the likes of Relko who went on the next year to win the Epsom Derby along with a whole slew of other stakes races. She was rated 133 as a two-year-old by Timeform and headed the French Free Handicap for two-year-olds. Her win in the Grand Criterium was brilliant and she was hailed as the flying filly because of her brilliant performances. At age three, Hula Dancer raced both in France and in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

where she again defeated colts on a regular basis as well as older horses in the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

. The highlight of her 1963 racing campaign was a victory in the British Classic, the 1,000 Guineas. Her first performance in England was in the 1,000 Guineas and she started to sweat up badly before the race. She was not brilliant in this win as she only had a length to spare over her rival but it was her courage that got her thru. She was entered in the Epsom Oaks but it was decided not to run her as there appeared to be concerns about her stamina. Her only defeat was in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly in June where she finished 5th. She redeemed herself beautifully with brilliant wins against older horses in the Prix Jaques de Marois and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. She ended her fine career with a brilliant in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket where she showed a brilliant turn of foot to defeat a high class field. Hula Dancer was the first racehorse of her sex to win over 105,160 pounds in a season in 1963. The quality of horses she beat is evidenced by the fact that every one of her six stakes races wins are now

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

events. She was definitely one of the great fillies to grace the turf especially over the distances of 8-10 furlongs.

Breeding record

Hula Dancer was retired to

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 ...

duty in France. In 1968, Raymond Guest paid a European auction record price of 1.020 million

French franc The franc (; , ; currency sign, sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amoun ...

s for her. She was shipped to the United States in 1970. Hula Dancer met with limited success as a broodmare. She produced only three living foals.

References

Hula Dancer's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{1000 Guineas winners 1960 racehorse births 1972 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in France Widener family Thoroughbred family 3-j 1000 Guineas winners