Dance Smartly, champion filly, dead at 19

Dance Smartly, a champion in both Canada and the United States after going undefeated in eight starts in 1991, was euthanized last weekend after being injured in a paddock accident at Sam-Son Farm in Milton, Ontario.

Sam-Son Farm, owner and breeder of Dance Smartly, said in a press release that the injury was related to "an arthritic stifle." She was age 19 and not in foal.

"Dance Smartly was a once-in-a-lifetime horse," said Tammy Samuel-Balaz, president of Sam-Son Farm. "She was magic, and gave us incredible thrills both as a racehorse and a broodmare."

Dance Smartly, by Danzig out of the Smarten mare Classy n' Smart, was Canada's champion 2-year-old filly in 1990 and was Horse of the Year and top 3-year-old filly after sweeping the Canadian Triple Crown in 1991.

Dance Smartly capped that campaign with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff and took home the Eclipse Award for her division. She retired the following year with a record of 12 wins, 2 seconds and 3 thirds from 17 starts, good for earnings of $3,165,201.

As a broodmare, Dance Smartly produced back-to-back winners of the Queen's Plate in Scatter the Gold (2000) and the filly Dancethruthedawn (2001). She was honored as Canada's outstanding broodmare in 2001.

Dance Smartly, who was trained by Jim Day, was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.