Snaafi Dancer

Snaafi Dancer (foaled February 25, 1982) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first yearling to sell for more than US$10 million ($31.2 million in current dollars).^[2][3]

Snaafi Dancer
Sire	Northern Dancer
Grandsire	Nearctic
Dam	My Bupers
Damsire	Bupers
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	25 February 1982[1]
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Donald T. Johnson (Crescent Farm)
Owner	Aston Upthorpe Stud
Trainer	John L. Dunlop
Record	unraced

Breeding

Bred by Donald T. Johnson^[4] under the name of his Crescent Farm, he was out of the mare My Bupers^[5] and sired by Northern Dancer whom the National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history."^[6] Snaafi Dancer joins nine other descendants of Northern Dancer who clinch the entire list of the ten most expensive colts sold at auction (current to 2014).

His dam, My Bupers, had previously produced several winners including the American Champion Sprint Horse My Juliet and the Champagne Stakes winner Lyphard's Special.

Sale

Sent to the 1983 Keeneland Select Sale, bidding opened on the yearling at $1 million, passed the previous record forty-five seconds later with a bid price of $4.5 million, and finally closed at a new record price of $10.2 million to Sheikh Mohammed's Aston Upthorpe Stud. Looking for a Northern Dancer horse that could be a foundation stallion for his breeding operations – as had happened with chief rival Coolmore Stud – Sheikh Mohammed not only paid a new highest price ever for a yearling, but the highest price for any thoroughbred ever sold at auction at that time.^[7]

Career

Snaafi Dancer never raced. It was reported that he was so slow in training that it would have been embarrassing to run him in public.^[8] He was retired to stud duty where he was discovered to have fertility problems. From two years of breeding, he sired only four foals, three of which raced with very limited success. Snaafi Dancer was last reported as being at a farm in Florida.^[3][9]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Snaafi Dancer (USA), bay stallion, 1982^[1]

Sire Northern Dancer (CAN) 1961	Nearctic (CAN) 1954	Nearco	Pharos
			Nogara
		Lady Angela	Hyperion
			Sister Sarah
	Natalma (USA) 1957	Native Dancer	Polynesian
			Geisha
		Almahmoud	Mahmoud
			Arbitrator
Dam My Bupers (USA) 1967	Bupers (USA) 1961	Double Jay	Balladier
			Broomshot
		Busanda	War Admiral
			Businesslike
	Princess Revoked (USA) 1959	Revoked	Blue Larkspur
			Gala Belle
		Miss Muffet	Challedon
			Bona Via (Family 6-a)

References

1. "Snaafi Dancer pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
2. "Colt Is Purchased For World-Record $10.2 Million". New York Times. 1983-07-20. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
3. "News of $16-million colt travels fast to Germany". Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved 2015-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. NTRA article on breeder Donald T. Johnson and Snaafi Dancer
5. http://www.pedigreequery.com/snaafi+dancer Snaafi Dancer's pedigree and partial racing stats
6. "Windfields Farm - NTRA". Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
7. "Thoroughbred Champions -- Championing the Horse & the Sport". Archived from the original on 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
8. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third ed.). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
9. "Horse racing: Sheikh is unstirred". The Guardian. London. 2005-10-02.

Records
Preceded by Empire Glory	Most expensive Thoroughbred colt yearling July 19, 1983 – July 23, 1985	Next: Seattle Dancer