Dancer's Image

Dancer's Image was a gray horse owned and bred by businessman Peter D. Fuller of Runnymede Farm in North Hampton, New Hampshire, the son of former Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller. Originally named A.T.'s Image in memory of Fuller's father,{{cite book |title=Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby |first=Milton C. |last=Toby |publisher=The History Press |date=2011 |isbn=1609490959 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Dancers-Image-Forgotten-Story-Kentucky/dp/1609490959/}}{{rp|19}} the horse was renamed Dancer's Image in preparation for sale at auction in February 1967, but Fuller ended up retaining ownership.{{rp|21}} The colt was trained by Lou Cavalaris Jr. and ridden in the Derby by jockey Bobby Ussery. Dancer's Image's sire was Native Dancer, who won the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, and was voted the United States Horse of the Year for 1954{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xU1UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zDoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4723,6241249&dq=native-dancer+horse-of-the-year&hl=en |title=Native Dancer Horse of Year |publisher=St. Joseph News-Press |date=1954-11-27 |access-date=2012-02-27}} and who, in turn, was a son of the 1945 Preakness Stakes winner, Polynesian.

At age two, Dancer's Image won graded stakes races in Maryland and at Woodbine Racetrack in Ontario, Canada. At age three, in the lead-up to the 1968 U.S. Triple Crown races, he won several more races including the Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes. For the Kentucky Derby, he was a second choice among bettors to Calumet Farm's Florida Derby and Blue Grass Stakes winner Forward Pass.[http://d3b4lt1s53xf6k.cloudfront.net/sites/kentuckyderby.com/files/charts/1968.pdf 1968 official Kentucky Derby chart] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723043745/http://d3b4lt1s53xf6k.cloudfront.net/sites/kentuckyderby.com/files/charts/1968.pdf |date=2011-07-23 }}

Dancer's Image was plagued by sore ankles during his career. On the Sunday prior to the 1968 Kentucky Derby, his handlers had a veterinarian give him a dose of phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used to relieve inflammation of the joints. At the time, it was illegal for phenylbutazone to be in a horse's system on race day at Churchill Downs; however, Dancer's Image's veterinarian and handlers believed the medication would clear his system in time for the Derby.

On Saturday, May 4, Dancer's Image won the Kentucky Derby, but was disqualified after traces of phenylbutazone were discovered in the mandatory post-race urinalysis. The disqualification was announced on Tuesday, May 7, with second-place finisher Forward Pass declared the winner and Dancer's Image moved to last.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31269465/kderbys_dancer_disqualified/ |title=K-Derby's Dancer Disqualified |first=George W. |last=Hackett |agency=AP |newspaper=The Tampa Tribune |page=19 |date=May 8, 1968 |access-date=May 5, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} The controversy filled the sporting news of media outlets in North America and was a cover story for Sports Illustrated,{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/vault/issue/42998/toc |title=May 20, 1968 Issue |website=Sports Illustrated |access-date=May 5, 2019}} which referred to it as "the year's major sports story."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1968/05/20/610228/it-was-a-bitter-pill |title=It Was a Bitter Pill |first=Whitney |last=Tower |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=May 20, 1968 |access-date=May 5, 2019 |via=si.com/vault}}

The next disqualification of a Kentucky Derby winner happened in 2019, when Maximum Security was disqualified for impeding the progress of several other horses.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/26671100/country-house-wins-derby-65-1-maximum-security-dqed-following-objection |title=Country House wins Derby at 65-1; Maximum Security DQ'd following objection |website=ESPN |date=May 4, 2019 |access-date=May 4, 2019}}

Dancer's Image ran in the 1968 Preakness Stakes, finishing third to Forward Pass. However, he was disqualified again and set back to eighth place, this time for bumping the horse Martins Jig. Continued ankle problems resulted in Dancer's Image being retired after the race.

Fuller and the horse's handlers filed an appeal of the disqualification, as they believed someone else may have been motivated to give the colt another dose of phenylbutazone. The Kentucky State Racing Commission examined the matter and ordered distribution of the purse with first money to Forward Pass. Fuller took legal action and, in December 1970, a Kentucky Court awarded first-place money to Dancer's Image.[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/12/archives/kentucky-court-awards-firstplace-money-in-68-derby-to-dancers-image.html The New York Times - December 12, 1970 article titled "Kentucky Court Awards First-Place Money in 68 Derby to Dancer's Image"] That decision was overturned on appeal in April 1972 by the Kentucky Court of Appeals in Kentucky State Racing Comm'n v. Fuller, 481 S.W.2d 298 (Ky. 1972).

Controversy and speculation still surround the incident, and in 2008 The New York Times called it "the most controversial Kentucky Derby ever".{{cite news|url=http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/revisiting-dancers-image/|title=Revisiting Dancer's Image|last=Thornton|first=T.D.|date=May 3, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 9, 2013}} Forty years after the disqualification, owner Peter Fuller still believed he was a victim of a set-up, due to his being a wealthy civil rights sympathizer from Boston who offended the Kentucky racing aristocracy by donating Dancer's Image's $62,000 prize {{USDCY|62000|1968}} for a previous victory to Coretta Scott King two days after her husband's murder. Fuller said he had anticipated that someone might interfere with his colt and asked Churchill Downs officials to provide extra security before the race, but they denied the request. As of 2008, the Churchill Downs media guide for the Derby still included the official chart showing Dancer's Image as the winner.{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=horse&id=3377342|title=Questions remain 40 years after Derby disqualification|newspaper=ESPN.com|access-date=2016-12-21}}

Legalized in 1974 by the Kentucky Racing Commission,{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-01-sp-3316-story.html |title=THE 1968 KENTUCKY DERBY : THE VICTORY THAT WASN'T : Dancer's Image, Who Finished First, Was Disqualified After Positive Test for Illegal Medication |first=Bill |last=Christine |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 1, 1988 |access-date=May 5, 2019}} phenylbutazone was so commonly used by 1986 that 13 of the 16 entrants in that year's Kentucky Derby were running on the medication.[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB738A9A11D0BD1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Lexington Herald-Leader - May 4, 1986 article titled "FIRST TWO HORSES ONLY ONES DRUG FREE"]

Dancer's Image was syndicated and sent to stand at stud at Glade Valley Farms in Frederick, Maryland. Eventually his owners sold the colt, and in 1974 he was sent to breeders in Ireland, then in 1979 to Haras du Quesnay at Deauville, France, owned by renowned breeder Alec Head.{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/59829031.html?dids=59829031:59829031&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+01%2C+1988&author=BILL+CHRISTINE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=THE+1968+KENTUCKY+DERBY+THE+VICTORY+THAT+WASN'T+Dancer's+Image%2C+Who+Finished+First%2C+Was+Disqualified+After+Positive+Test+for+Illegal+Medication&pqatl=google |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 1, 1988 |access-date=6 May 2019 |archive-url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/292825199.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2001,%201988&author=BILL%20CHRISTINE&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times%20(pre-1997%20Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=&desc=THE%201968%20KENTUCKY%20DERBY%20THE%20VICTORY%20THAT%20WASN%27T%20Dancer%27s%20Image,%20Who%20Finished%20First,%20Was%20Disqualified%20After%20Positive%20Test%20for%20Illegal%20Medication |archive-date=6 March 2016 |first=Christine |last=Bill |page=3 |via=ProQuest Archiver |title=THE 1968 KENTUCKY DERBY THE VICTORY THAT WASN'T Dancer's Image, Who Finished First, Was Disqualified After Positive Test for Illegal Medication}} During his time in Europe he had success with sprinters including the Group One winners Godswalk, Lianga and Saritamer. Dancer's Image was later sent to stand at stud in Japan, where he died at age 27 on December 26, 1992.{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB73E5291891D60&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper=Lexington Herald-Leader |date=December 30, 1992 |access-date=6 May 2019 |title=Disqualified Derby Winner Dies |publisher=Newsbank.com}}

{{Pedigree

|name = Dancer's Image (USA), gray stallion, 1965{{cite web|url=https://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm/Dancer's%20Image?page_state=DISPLAY_REPORT&reference_number=112273®istry=T&horse_name=Dancer%27s%20Image&dam_name=Noors%20Image&foaling_year=1965&include_sire_line=N|title=Dancer's Image pedigree |publisher=equineline.com |date=2012-05-08 |access-date=2012-07-20}}

|f = Native Dancer (USA)
1950

|m = Noor's Image (USA)
1953

|ff = Polynesian (USA)
1942

|fm = Geisha (USA)
1943

|mf = Noor (GB)
1945

|mm = Little Sphinx (USA)
1943

|fff = Unbreakable

|ffm = Black Polly

|fmf = Discovery

|fmm = Miyako

|mff = Nasrullah

|mfm = Queen of Baghdad

|mmf = Challenger

|mmm = Khara

|ffff = Sickle

|fffm = Blue Glass

|ffmf = Polymelian

|ffmm = Black Queen

|fmff = Display

|fmfm = Ariadne

|fmmf = John P Grier

|fmmm = La Chica

|mfff = Nearco

|mffm = Mumtaz Begum

|mfmf = Bahram

|mfmm = Queen of Scots

|mmff = Swynford

|mmfm = Sword Play

|mmmf = Kai-Sang

|mmmm = Decree (Family 4-r){{cite web|url=http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Families/Family4r.htm |title=Cub Mare - Family 4-r |publisher=Thoroughbred Bloodlines |access-date=2013-10-30}}

|}}

• Mom's Command, another horse owned by Peter D. Fuller

• [http://www.pedigreequery.com/dancers+image Dancer's Image pedigree and racing stats]

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |url=https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/fifty-years-after-dancers-image-dq-more-questions-than-answers/ |title=Fifty Years After Dancer’s Image DQ, More Questions Than Answers |first=Bill |last=Finley |website=Thoroughbred Daily News |date=May 2, 2018 |access-date=May 4, 2019}}
• {{cite web |url=https://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/a-farm-sale-of-integrity/ |title=A Farm Sale of Integrity |first=Carole-Terese |last=Naser |website=blogs.nytimes.com |date=June 4, 2011 |access-date=June 21, 2019}}
• {{cite book |url=https://www.amazon.com/Dancers-Image-Forgotten-Story-Kentucky/dp/1609490959/ |title=Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby |first=Milton C. |last=Toby |publisher=The History Press |date=2011 |access-date=May 4, 2019 |isbn=1609490959}}

• [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiG7RslfGs4&t=12m40s 1968 Kentucky Derby] via YouTube
• [https://casetext.com/case/kentucky-state-racing-commission-v-fuller Kentucky State Racing Commission v. Fuller, 481 S.W.2d 298 (Ky. Ct. App. 1972)] via casetext.com

{{Kentucky Derby Winners}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1965 racehorse births

Category:1992 racehorse deaths

Category:Racehorses bred in Maryland

Category:Racehorses trained in the United States

Category:Thoroughbred family 4-r