Racing career Dancing Brave

1 racing career

1.1 1985: two-year-old season
1.2 1986: three-year-old season

1.2.1 spring
1.2.2 summer
1.2.3 autumn

racing career
1985: two-year-old season

dancing brave may foal, , harwood did not believe in racing horses until @ least 2 years , 3 months old, colt given light training until late summer. dancing brave made first racecourse appearance in one-mile dorking stakes @ sandown in started odds-on favourite against 3 opponents. won 3 lengths mighty memory. in soham house stakes @ newmarket, dancing brave again started favourite after reports had been performing better @ home stable s william hill futurity winner bakharoff. won 2 , half lengths northern amethyst, nisnas in third. despite never having contested group race , being rated eleven pounds below top-rated bakharoff in international classification, made 10/1 winter favourite following year s 2000 guineas.

1986: three-year-old season
spring

dancing brave opened three-year-old campaign victory on faraway dancer , mashkour in craven stakes @ newmarket in april. on same course , distance 2 weeks later started 15/8 favourite against fourteen opponents in 2000 guineas. ridden greville starkey, quickened in closing stages of run race win 3 lengths green desert , huntingdale. describing race years later walter swinburn said felt win on green desert before dancing brave powered past him , mowed him down . after race, starkey confident colt stay 1 , half miles in derby, although harwood more cautious.

summer

in derby month later dancing brave started favourite, despite concerns ability stay distance of twelve furlongs. starkey employed exaggerated waiting tactics , dancing brave close last place entering home straight. switched outside make challenge, dancing brave accelerated in last quarter mile, being clocked @ 10.3 seconds penultimate furlong. failed catch leader shahrastani finishing second half length. jockey, greville starkey, criticised tactics, has been defended others, including harwood, pointed out race run @ muddling pace , starkey have won if had cut horse in half , stable jockey unwilling do. starkey kept ride dancing brave s next race, eclipse stakes @ sandown park. racing against older horses first time won in breathtaking style 4 lengths triptych , teleprompter. however, when starkey injured , unable ride horse in king george vi , queen elizabeth stakes @ ascot replaced pat eddery became preferred choice in colt s remaining races. ascot race saw rematch between dancing brave , shahrastani. since winning derby, shahrastani had won irish derby 8 lengths , started favourite king george. eddery produced dancing brave s run earlier usual, taking him lead on furlong home , colt had ridden out hold off shardari three-quarters of length, triptych third, shahrastani fourth , petoski fifth.

autumn

after break, dancing brave returned in select stakes @ goodwood racecourse in september. tracked leaders before pulling away in closing stages win ten lengths. on final european appearance, dancing brave sent overseas first time contest prix de l arc de triomphe @ longchamp in paris. apart shardari, shahrastani , triptych, field included german champion acatenango , french colt bering, unbeaten in 4 races in 1986. eddery restrained dancing brave in stages before switching him wide outside challenge in straight runners spread across width of course. 200m run not in first ten, produced electrifying burst take lead 50m finish , won length , half bering in race record time of 2:27.7. on final appearance sent california contest breeders cup turf @ santa anita park failed reproduce best form, finishing fourth behind manila. dancing brave suffered injury in race when struck in eye clod of turf.