Product Description

When Northern Dancer won the Kentucky Derby in the spring of 1964, Canadians poured into the streets to celebrate. Northern Dancer had not only waltzed off with North America's most cherished racing trophy, he had also run the Derby faster than any horse in history. The mayor of Toronto awarded him the key to the city, the country's sportswriters voted him Athlete of the Year, and he was deluged with fan mail. Yet the excitement generated by this remarkable animal had only just begun. The story of Northern Dancer is the stuff of legend. He was a little horse, dismissed time and again because of his size, and to many he appeared to be the antithesis of streamlined, thoroughbred elegance. Today, however, his descendants dominate racing the world over, and Northern Dancer is recognized as the greatest thoroughbred sire in modern history. To discover what made Northern Dancer so extraordinary, journalist Muriel Lennox takes us on a ride into the sport of kings and queens.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32906 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Every sport has its unlikely legends. In horse racing, there is Northern Dancer.

This is the fast-moving story of a horse that, against the odds, has had a massive influence on the sport of kings--both on and off the track. Northern Dancer's success on the racecourse was in itself a remarkable tale of triumph in adversity.

Although small in size, he turned out to be larger than life, proving the cynics totally wrong by winning the 1964 Kentucky Derby in the fastest time in history. It also represented a marvellous achievement for his famous owner E.P.Taylor, who showed that great horses could be born and bred in Canada. And, while far from being the best looking of thoroughbreds, the success story continued after Northern Dancer's racing days were over. He is one of the most successful thoroughbred sires in racing history, with his descendants including the brilliant Nijinsky.

Author Muriel Lennox gives a splendid, vivid account of Northern Dancer's life both on and off the racecourse, as well as providing an intriguing insight into the character of owner E.P.Taylor. Clearly somebody who has witnessed much of what she talks about at close hand, she intersperses her well-told story with shorter pieces which act as useful summaries. The middle of the book includes some superb equine pictures, some of them action shots made more dramatic by being in black and white. And towards the tail-end, there are the impressive details of Northern Dancer's probably unparalleled record as a sire which takes the reader cantering through to the finish.

This may be the story of a horse that raced three decades ago, but the legend is still alive today and that comes across in this book. Through his many, successful descendants, the legacy of Northern Dancer relentlessly gallops on.

About the Author
Muriel Lennox has worked as a sports reporter, a financial writer, a television reviewer and the editor of the thoroughbred racing magazine Canadian Horse. Her articles have appeared in The Toronto Star, Report on Business, Toronto Life, City and Country Home, The Globe and Mail and Starweek, and is the author of E.P. Taylor: A Horseman and his Horses.

Customer Reviews

Northern Dancer
For anyone remotely interested in this fabulous horse, then this book is for you. If you wish to find a background to your breeding programme and Northern Dancer is in the bloodline, then you will find this book absolutley fascinating.
It is an accurate detail of this horse's life and shows how much can change by one action by someone else.
A thoroughrly good read, informative and hard to put down.
Great..
Nigel S Shaw.

A most compelling read
This is the fascinating tale of how one of the worlds most famous thoroughbred sires was created, and his extraordinary legacy. Lennox writes the book in a very readable manner and in the style of a novel, ensuring that it is appealing to both dedicated followers of thoroughbred pedigrees, and those with only a passing interest. The first half of the book covers Northern Dancer's parentage, and their own successes, and then moves on to chart the life and major triumphs of this remarkable horse - disregarded by so many as a youngster. The second half of the book describes his amazing legacy, giving rise to outstanding equine heroes - "The Magnificent Dancers", including Nijinsky, The Minstrel, Nureyev, and Sadlers Wells, and also notes the dramatic impact he still has upon the more comtemporary equine champions in todays classic races.

Julie, Cheshire, UK
Fantastic book, especially as I own a bit of his legacy. She has his nose, but unfortunately not his ability!