Conduits of Speed - Pike Place Dancer

Original article written by Erin Sanderson posted 12 years 3 weeks ago

In all the years of the SIM, there have been dozens of truly influential mares that can to this day be called great. However, there is one that is still the standard by which all others are measured. She never raced in the SIM world, but her influence on our breed is profound, even over twenty years after her final foal was born. She is Pike Place Dancer.

Nearly every very good dirt router - and a good few nice turf sprinters, milers, and routers - today trace back to Pike Place Dancer, either through the female line or one of her prominent sons.

Pike Place Dancer's career as a broodmare got off to a running start immediately when Jon Xett bred her to Sea Hero to produce the incomparable Derby Dancer. The bay stallion had a rough go of it at two, making five starts and only winning one (and that on turf), but began to blossom at three. He won the Arkansas Derby before finishing third in Soldier Girl's Louisville Derby and second in the Baltimore Crown. He would win the Haskell Invitational and Super Derby that year, and finish second in the Midsummer Classic and Three Day Event's Steward's Cup Classic.

At four, Derby Dancer had an ambitious schedule, finishing second in the Strub Stakes and Arcadia Million to One In A Million before winning four straight, all grade one events: the Desert World Cup, Suburban Handicap, Whitney Handicap, and Woodward Handicap. He would avenge his defeats to One In A Million in his final start, the Steward's Cup Classic, but fall short of Onwardsilvercharm.

Derby Dancer would retire with eight wins in twenty starts - only once finishing worse than third - and $7,710,000 in earnings. He was named Champion Older Horse of year six, and has since been inducted into the Hall of Fame. At stud, he sired only 57 foals, 54 of which made it to the track. Of those, he had 31 winners, with 11 winning stakes events. Among his get were Australian champion Jade Sword, a top notch stayer who earned $2,855,930, the great race mare Massage, millionaire Sense of Humor, and Asian champion Transcontinental.

Awesome Dancer was the second foal for Pike Place Dancer, and the beginning of a dynasty of great racing and producing mares. The bay daughter of Awesome Again won the Frizette and was second in the Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies at two, but came alive at three. After a tough second to Freebie's Girl in her first start, Awesome Dancer struck a five-race win streak that included the Louisville Oaks, Alabama Stakes, Spinster Stakes, and was capped with the Steward's Cup Distaff. She was named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly that year, beating out Louisville Derby winner Soldier Girl.

At four, Awesome Dancer won three of six, finishing second in her other three, including victories in the Santa Margarita and Vanity Handicaps. She finished second to Soldier Girl in the Steward's Cup Distaff to conclude her career, defeating One for the Ages, War Song, and Cascade in the process.

In the shed, Awesome Dancer was nearly her dam's equal, producing the great Fading Star, multimillionaire Blazes, and the millionaire August, among others. This surprisingly versatile branch of the female family is responsible for the likes of Tot Ziens, Piece of the Moon, Unheard Of, Piece of the Dream, Part of My Heart, Out of Kindness, Life Worth Living, Unfathomed, Salute The Sky, Father's Day, Looking For Light, Five Fading Lights, Brash, and Voracious.

It was a while before Pike Place Dancer produced anything special again, although she did get Crash by Unbridled, the dam of seven six-figure earners after being a maiden in twelve starts. Crash's branch of the female family has since been very consistent, producing six figure earners in almost every generation through Eachquarterfaster and Danseur Déjà Vu.

Pi Kappa Dancer came along shortly after. The big, handsome chestnut son of Island Rescue was very closely related to Derby Dancer and shared that one's affinity for both surfaces. Pi Kappa Dancer began his career solidly on the dirt, and was actually faster as a two-year-old than most of his siblings, winning the Steward's Cup Juvenile. He won two straight before finishing seventh in the Derby at three, then rebounded to take the Queen's Derby. He was out for a few weeks following that start, but capped his three-year-old year with a solid allowance win. At four, he raced solely on the turf, winning the grade one Maker's Mark Mile and Future Hero Stakes and grade two California Cup Mile before finishing second to Give Applause in the Steward's Cup Turf Mile.

As a sire, Pi Kappa Dancer was a powerful force in the turf sprint and mile world, and is still found in many pedigrees today. His highest earner, Promisesinthedark, was one of the top earning short turf runners in history, taking home almost $7.8 million. The multi-champion miler Angels Help Angels, recently pensioned, was not only a top racehorse, but a ridiculously consistent sire with 72.2% winners and 16.5% stakes winners. Pi Kappa Dancer also sired the multi-millionaire turf router Bonne Chance (dam of two millionaires), three-time champion Heavens Lost Angel, and the millionaire Illustration. Through daughters such as those, Pi Kappa Dancer is the broodmare sire of 38 stakes winners, including Worlds An Audience, champion sprinter Trumpet, Riskitforthestars, Cold Open, Crimson Rain, Black Messiah, and Sainted.

The very next year, Pike Place Dancer produced one of her best in a horse named Tremendous. The little chestnut colt, perhaps named for his tremendous heart rather than his size, was the second SIM Triple Crown winner. During his fifteen-start career, he also won the Futurity Stakes, California Cup Classic, Suburban Handicap, and Woodward Handicap. He was second and fourth in two attempts in the Steward's Cup Classic. At three, he was named Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and Horse of the Year, and has since been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Today, Tremendous's influence in pedigrees is most often felt in the dirt miler division. His top earning son was the great Mighty Big, a bang up sire and dam's sire of milers and short routers. The mare Tremendous Strides was Tremendous's top earning daughter, and enjoyed racing between six and eight furlongs.

As a broodmare sire, Tremendous is much like Pi Kappa Dancer - a very strong influence. He produced the dams of such horses as Lightninginabottle, Edict, Thriller, Babe Ruth, North, Cape, Extremely, and thirty-seven other stakes winners.

P Cubed may not have been a top racehorse like many of her siblings, but she is another important piece of the dynasty belonging to Pike Place Dancer. The big chestnut daughter of Priceless Forever won three of eleven, earning a paltry $64,240 in her career. She was a sprinter on the track, but in the shed, she began a branch of the family that, to this day, is one of the most dominant dirt routing lines in the world.

P Cubed's millionaire daughter Elusive By Design was not only a top notch racer, but produced the immortal Cadeauje as her first foal. The Hall of Famer and dam of nine millionaires needs little introduction, and her lines can be found today through the likes of Clearly Best, Big Dreams, Radee, Stay Awake, and Indian. Elusive By Design also produced three other millionaires, including champion Moed. P Cubed's top earner was Alliteration, winner of eleven of twelve and $2.3 million, as well as being the dam of Azelia Bay and a top sire in Declare or Desist.

Kentucky Trophy is one of those interesting horses that is easily forgotten. The chestnut son of Trophy and P Cubed never raced due to injury, but he has made his mark on the breed as well. He is perhaps best known as the sire of Baby, the dam of such horses as East, West, Hit the Snooze, and Center, but he also sired the top class miler Kentucky Value. As a broodmare sire, his other daughters have produced millionaire Earn the Roses, Kentucky Liberty, Infinite Glory, and several other stakes winners.

The $4 million filly Valentine was Pike Place Dancer's next foal. The Amazonian chestnut daughter of Loki Flame is a Hall of Famer and was named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly during her illustrious career. In thirteen starts, she won ten, including the Louisville Oaks, Steward's Cup Distaff, Alabama Stakes, Ashland Stakes, Inglewood Starlet, Santa Margarita Invitational, and Spinster Stakes. She came very close to being the first filly to win the Desert World Cup, falling a head short to the great Heir to the Throne.

Valentine's part of the female line has produced such horses as millionaire Giant Risk, Yellow Roses, Geared Down, Thirty One Lengths, Sunset Ride, current runner White Bengal Tiger, and Quench My Heart.

Despite all of these illustrious horses down through the years, there is one son that may define Pike Place Dancer's career as a broodmare, and that is the immortal Fighting With Wit. The son of Battle Cry was one of the best racehorses and most prevalent sires of his generation.

On the track, Fighting With Wit was first or second in twelve of thirteen starts, winning such races as the Pacific Classic, Arcadia Million, and Swaps Stakes and earning $2,211,640. At stud, well, it is possible that he will never be matched.

Fighting With Wit is the sire of 162 winners that took victories in 489 races. His average earnings per runner was a staggering $441,658, and he sired a total of 58 stakes winners (a freakish 28.2%). A total of 24 of his foals became millionaires, including Chinese Bandit, Saga, Prefamageps, Worth Fighting For, For What It's Worth, This One's For You, Heartstopper, Parade, and Sahara Dream. His incredibly potent sire line is continuing well today through sons and grandsons of Saga (Epic, Greenspan, Radee, etc.), Worth Fighting For (Enforcer, Darkness Awaits, Coup D'Etat), and Chinese Bandit (Indian, Life Worth Living, Lokite Honesty, etc.).

Coming along on the heels of Fighting With Wit was the gray phenomenon, Walkover. In thirteen starts, the son of Sea Hero won eleven and finished second and third once each. He earned just over $7 million on the track. Walkover won the first ten starts of his career, including the Steward's Cup Classic over No Tears Here, Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, Oceanside Futurity, Arkansas Derby, and Lone Star Derby. He first tasted defeat against Gaze Unwavering in the Desert World Cup, but then defeated Chesapeake Bay in a romp in the Pacific Classic. Conduit's year eleven Steward's Cup Classic was the final start of Walkover's career, and though he was third, he came home in front of El Rival Decade, Gaze Unwavering, and others in one of the most stirring renewals of the race in its thirty-year history.

At stud, Walkover was not quite as prevalent as his older half brother, siring only 75 runners. However, 67 of those became winners, earning 190 total victories. His 32% stakes winner percentage has to be one of the highest in history. He has not become known as a sire of sires, either, but rather as a broodmare sire, getting the likes of $3 million earner Tiara (dam of Buckingham, Majesty, King, etc.), $2 million earner Pristine (dam of Last Leaf to Fall), Traumatize (dam of Kamikaze and Wow), and Sky Brusher (dam of Sky Flyer and High Esteem).

Alpha And Omega was Pike Place Dancer's final millionaire son. By Symbol, the speedy black colt won his first seven, including the Queen's Derby, Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, Grey Breeders' Cup, and Affirmed Handicap. His win streak was snapped by Chesapeake Bay in the Clark Handicap at the end of his three-year-old season. At four, he would only make three starts, finishing eighth in Dubai, second in the Whitney, and ending his career with a victory over Trophy in the Clark Handicap. As a sire, Alpha And Omega was a disappointment compared to his brothers, siring only 15 winners and two stakes winners.

The final foal for Pike Place Dancer is the not to be forgotten Prevail. The daughter of Sunday Silence won nine of her ten starts and just over $1.1 million. She was victorious in her first nine straight before falling less than a length short of Loki Paradise in the Steward's Cup Distaff. Among her victories were the Spinster Stakes, Chula Vista Handicap, Tropical Oaks, Davona Dale Stakes and Sorority Stakes.

Prevail was perhaps the best producing daughter of Pike Place Dancer, throwing the top racehorse and champion sire Boise as her third foal. The millionaire and classy producing Premier was her fourth foal. A few years later, Prevail produced the versatile millionaire Triunfo, now standing as a promising young sire. Her final foal could be the best yet, however, in the five-year-old Persevere, a three-time champion, winner of 8 grade one stakes including the Louisville Derby, Baltimore Crown, and Steward's Cup Classic and over $6 million.

This far-reaching dynasty is far from its close. In fact, it is flourishing. It is easy to see why the big bay is the mark by which all others are measured. To this day, there are none that can come close, for she is the immortal, incomparable Pike Place Dancer.

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