Northern Dancer: Canadian stallion

Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2017 as part of a series of stories celebrating some of Canada's top sports heroes and moments as the country marked its 150th birthday, and we are bringing it back today for our Sunday Read series.

A famous story of a famous horse:

Shortly after Northern Dancer completed his racing heroics in 1964, a student at the Ontario School for the Blind wrote a fan letter to Windfields Farm, asking to meet his hero.

Winifred Taylor, wife of the stallion's owner, E.P., sent word to the barn they would be coming down this day, so world renowned trainer Horatio Luro stepped into the stall at Woodbine race track to put the horse's halter on. Dancer would have none of it — as told by publicist Bruce Walker, who was there, the horse backed Luro into a corner, bared his teeth, reared up and began boxing with his front legs.   

Not much frightened Luro, but this time he dove for his life towards the opening and right under the webbing stretched across it. Dancer was in one of his frequent moods, and all there were worried what would happen when Mrs. Taylor brought her guest along.

But as soon as the horse saw her coming he calmed right down, nostrils stilled, head over the webbing so the boy could pat and stroke the now famous equine star. Didn't move a muscle. And then the visitors left ... and the nostrils flared again.

That was Northern Dancer — a star on the track and a superstar in the barn who became the most important and influential North American stallion of the 20th century — and one who, to this day, dominates bloodlines around the world.

Author Muriel Lennox, who had been lead rider for the Taylors at their estate for 12 years, captured the essence of Northern Dancer in