Editing Native Dancer (section)

{{Short description|American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse}}
{{About|the famed racehorse}}

{{Infobox racehorse
| horsename = Native Dancer
| image= Native Dancer (USA).jpg
| caption = Native Dancer, the ''Gray Ghost''
| sire = [[Polynesian (horse)|Polynesian]]
| grandsire = [[Unbreakable (horse)|Unbreakable]]
| dam = Geisha
| damsire = [[Discovery (horse)|Discovery]]
| sex = [[Stallion]]
| foaled = March 27, 1950
|death_date = {{death date and age|1967|11|16|1950|3|27}}
| country = [[United States]]
| colour = [[Gray (horse)|Gray]]
| breeder = [[Alfred G. Vanderbilt II]] 
| owner = [[Alfred G. Vanderbilt II]]<br>Racing colors: Cerise, white diamonds, cerise, sleeves, white cap.
| trainer = [[William C. Winfrey]]
| record = 22: 21-1-0
| earnings = $785,240<ref name="EquibaseProfile">{{cite web |title=Native Dancer Profile |url=http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=342777&registry=T&rbt=TB |website=www.equibase.com |access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref>
| race = [[Youthful Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Flash Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Saratoga Special Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Grand Union Hotel Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Hopeful Stakes (United States)|Hopeful Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Belmont Futurity Stakes|Futurity Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[East View Stakes]] (1952)<br>[[Gotham Stakes]] (1953)<br>[[Wood Memorial]] (1953)<br>[[Withers Stakes]] (1953)<br>[[Dwyer Stakes]] (1953)<br>[[Arlington Classic Stakes|Arlington Classic]] (1953)<br>[[Travers Stakes]] (1953)<br>[[American Derby]] (1953)<br>[[Metropolitan Handicap]] (1954)<p>
'''[[American Classic Races|American Classic Race]] wins:'''<br>[[Preakness Stakes]] (1953)<br>[[Belmont Stakes]] (1953)</p>
| awards= [[American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt]] (1952)<br>[[American Horse of the Year|TSB/TRA Horse of the Year]] (1952)<br>[[American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse]] (1953)<br>[[American Champion Older Male Horse]] (1954)<br>[[American Horse of the Year]] (1954)
| honours = [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|U.S. Racing Hall of Fame]] (1963)<br>Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame (2014)<br>[[Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century|#7 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century]]<br>Statue at Centennial Park in [[Saratoga Springs, New York|Saratoga Springs]]
| updated= 
}}
'''Native Dancer''' (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished [[Thoroughbred]] [[Horse-racing|racehorses]] in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was a champion in each of his three years of racing, and was inducted into the [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]] in 1963. In the [[Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century|''Blood-Horse'' magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century]], he was ranked seventh.

As a two-year-old, he was undefeated in his nine starts and was voted Horse of the Year in two of three major industry polls – [[One Count]] won the other. At age three, he suffered the sole defeat in his career in the [[1953 Kentucky Derby]], but rebounded to win the [[Preakness Stakes|Preakness]], [[Belmont Stakes|Belmont]] and [[Travers Stakes]]. He made only three starts at age four before being retired due to injury, but was still named [[American Horse of the Year]].

Retired to stud in 1955, he became a major sire whose offspring included champion [[Raise A Native]] and dual Classic winner [[Kauai King]]. Also an influential broodmare sire, Native Dancer is now "all but universal" in modern pedigrees.<ref name="ACP">{{cite web |last1=Hunter |first1=Avalyn |title=Native Dancer (horse) |url=http://www.americanclassicpedigrees.com/native-dancer.html |website=American Classic Pedigrees |access-date=18 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref>