Native Dancer Stakes

Native Dancer Stakes
Ungraded stakes race
LocationLaurel Park Racecourse,
Laurel, Maryland,
United States
Inaugurated1966
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Websitewww.laurelpark.com
Race information
Distance1+18 mile
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationThree-years-old & up
WeightAssigned
Purse$100,000

The Native Dancer Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Raced in early January, it is open to horses age three and older and is contested on dirt over a distance of 1+18 mile. Its current purse is $75,000.

From 1966 to 2002, the race was known as the Native Dancer Handicap. It has been run at four different distances; for the first eleven years (from 1966 to 1976), the race was run at 6 furlongs, from 1977 to 1984 and in 2005 it was raced at a distance of 1+316 miles; in 1985 and from 2006 through 2010 the race was contested at its present distance of 1 mile; and from 1986 through 2003, it was run at a distance of 1+38 miles. The race was originally run at Bowie Race Track from 1966 through 1984.[1]

The race is named in honor of Alfred G. Vanderbilt's Native Dancer. Native Dancer was the huge gray son of two of thoroughbred's top racing horses of the decade in Polynesian and Geisha. He was named Horse of the Year as a two-year-old and then named a repeat winner as a four-year-old. He also won the titles of Champion 2-year-old, Champion 3-year-old and Champion older horse in three consecutive years. Native Dancer won 21 of 22 races and earned $785,240. His 18 stakes victories included the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes and the Travers Stakes. Native Dancer's only loss was in the Kentucky Derby. Following a trip in which he was bumped three times, he finished second, a head behind Dark Star.

Upon his retirement, Native Dancer entered into stud at Vanderbilt's Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland, where he remained until his death in 1967. He was buried at Sagamore and was the sire of 45 stakes winners including Raise a Native (grandsire to Mr. Prospector), Alydar, Natalma and Northern Dancer.

Records

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Speed record:

  • 6 furlongs - 1:09.00 - Tap The Tree (1974)
  • 1 mile - 1:34.80 - Throng (2008)
  • 1+116 miles - 1:40.20 - Jims Third Bolero (2005)
  • 1+18 miles - 1:48.40 - Gulf Reckoning (1996)

Most wins by an owner:

  • 2 - Jack Owens (1986, 1987)

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Winners of the Native Dancer Stakes since 1966

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Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Distance
(Miles)
Time
Purse
2023 Nimitz Class 4 Jevian Toledo Bruce M. Kravets Tom Coulter 1+18 1:52.11 $100,000
2022 Rough Sea 8 Denis Araujo Bruno Tessore Proud Stable Inc 1+18 1:51.76 $100,000
2021 No Race
2020 Harpers First Ride 4 Angel Cruz Claudio Gonzalez GMP Stables LLC 1+18 1:48.56 $100,000
2019 Someday Jones 6 Trevor McCarthy John Servis Main Line Racing Stable 1+18 1:49.23 $100,000
2018 Afleet Willy 5 Jomar Torres Claudio Gonzalez B. B. Horses 1+116 1:43.78 $100,000
2017 Page McKenney 7 Horacio Karamanos Mary E. Eppler Staple/Jalin Stable 1+116 1:45.01 $100,000
2016 Page McKenney 6 Horacio Karamanos Mary E. Eppler Staple/Jalin Stable 1+116 1:44.70 $75,000
2015 Elnaawi 5 Sheldon Russell Kiaran McLaughlin Shadwell Stable 1+116 1:45.20 $100,000
2014 Bold Curlin 4 Victor R. Carrasco Michael Trombetta Harry & Tom Meyerhoff 1+116 1:43.62 $100,000
2013 Private Tale 5 Sheldon Russell Michael Trombetta Three Diamonds Farm 1+116 1:45.35 $125,000
2012 No Race
2011 Laysh Laysh Laysh 6 Erick Rodriguez Richard Dutrow Jr. Vincent S. Scuderi 1-mile 1:37.45 $75,000
2010 Greenspring 5 Jeremy Rose Chris Grove Our Chelsea Stable 1-mile 1:38.18 $70,000
2009 Lord Snowdon 6 Jeremy Rose Anthony W. Dutrow Kaplan Racing 1-mile 1:38.11 $75,000
2008 Throng 5 Carlos H. Marquez Jr. Todd A. Pletcher Starlight Stable, LLC. 1-mile 1:34.80 $80,000
2007 Judith's Wild Rush 6 Julian Pimentel Julian Calet Harvey Tenenbaum 1-mile 1:36.40 $75,000
2006 Your Bluffing 6 Mario Pino Michael Trombetta R.D.M. Racing Stable 1-mile 1:40.20 $75,000
2005 Jim Thirds Bolero 6 Ryan Fogelsonger Annette M. Eubanks Rev. Mark L. Andrews 1+116 1:40.20 $75,000
2004 No Race
2003 P Day 8 Ryan Fogelsonger Charles H. Hadry Adam Russo 1+18 1:50.00 $75,000
2002 Private Ryan 5 Harry Vega Timothy Tullock Jr. Edmund Gann 1+18 1:49.00 $50,000
2001 Do I Ever 6 Harry Vega Bessie S. Gruwell John Morella 1+18 1:52.20 $55,000
2000 Montana Dreamin' - Joe Rocco Timothy F. Ritchey Richard Reveley 1+18 1:50.20 $75,000
1999 Waited - Alberto Delgado Barbara M. Kees Sherry Rudolph 1+18 1:49.40 $80,000
1998 Big Rut - Larry Reynolds Hamilton A. Smith James W. Peters Jr. 1+18 1:50.80 $60,000
1997 Mary's Buckaroo - Mario Verge Mary Joanne Hughes Jackson Bryer 1+18 1:49.40 $80,000
1996 Gulf Reckoning 5 Carlos H. Marquez Jr. Ben W. Perkins Jr. Dr. Charles Staats 1+18 1:48.40 $55,000
1995 Dixie Hero - Edgar Prado Charles Peoples Bayard Sharp 1+18 1:51.40 $90,000
1994 No Race
1993 Ameri Valay - Larry Reynolds King T. Leatherbury Elaine & Nick Bassford 1+18 1:49.80 $60,000
1992 Valley Crossing 4 Edgar Prado Richard W. Small Robert Meyerhoff 1+18 1:48.60 $60,000
1991 Jet Stream 5 Edgar Prado John C. Mobberly John C. Mobberly 1+18 1:50.80 $65,000
1990 Flaming Emperor - Clarence Ladner Kenny Cox Hideaway Farms 1+18 1:48.60 $75,000
1989 Learned Jake - Kent Desormeaux Art Benjamin Dick Vermillion 1+18 1:48.60 $60,000
1988 Due North - Michael Hunter Katy Voss Peter McGill 1+18 1:49.60 $60,000
1987 Little Bold John 5 Donnie Miller Jr. Jerry Robb Jack Owens 1+18 1:51.60 $80,000
1986 Little Bold John 4 Paul A. Nicol Jr. Jerry Robb Jack Owens 1+18 1:53.20 $80,000
1985 Kaye's Prince 6 Donnie Miller Jr. Kenneth Sumida Juiles C. 1-mile 1:36.60 $65,000
1984 Island Champ - Alberto Delgado Hank Allen James J. Devaney 1+116 1:46.00 $65,000
1983 Hail Emperor - Vincent Bracciale Jr. 1+116 1:46.00 $65,000
1982# Buc 'n Bronc - Mario Pino 1+116 1:44.60 $50,000
1982# Decent Davey - Leroy Moyers 1+116 1:43.60 $50,000
1981 Skippers Friend - Vincent Bracciale Jr. Robert Beale 1+116 1:44.60 $65,000
1980 Pole Position - Gunnar Lindberg Goody Goodman 1+116 1:45.20 $65,000
1979 Isella - Mark Drury 1+116 1:45.60 $65,000
1978# Ripon - Kelly Castaneda 1+116 1:45.60 $45,500
1978# Take the Pledge - Jack Kurtz 1+116 1:45.40 $45,500
1977 Jolly Johu - Larry Moyers 1+116 1:44.20 $65,000
1976 Christopher R. - William J. Passmore Beverly Hacker Art Rooney 6 fur. 1:10.60 $30,000
1975 Christopher R. - William J. Passmore Beverly Hacker Art Rooney 6 fur. 1:09.60 $30,000
1974 Tap the Tree - Vincent Bracciale Jr. 6 fur. 1:09.00 $30,000
1973 Joys Fella - C. Jimenez 6 fur. 1:10.60 $31,000
1972 Pro Bidder - George Cusimano 6 fur. 1:10.40 $31,000
1971 Jaikyl - Paul Kallai 6 fur. 1:10.40 $30,000
1970 Gaelic Dancer - Robert Nono 6 fur. 1:10.20 $31,000
1969 Illustrious - Dennis Petrucelli 6 fur. 1:09.20 $30,000
1968 Understudy - Frank Lovato 6 fur. 1:11.00 $30,000
1967 Sandoval - Dave Gorman 6 fur. 1:10.20 $30,000
1966 Hoist Bar - Ismael Valenzuela 6 fur. 1:10.40 $30,650

A # designates that the race was run in two divisions in 1978 and 1982.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 173 on March 3, 2007.