Until January, 2013, Dancing Brave had the distinction of being the highest-rated horse in the history of Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, which began in 1977. Indeed, his demotion, in favour of the unbeaten Frankel, was the result of downward revision of his rating of 141, which had stood for almost three decades, to 138. The so-called ‘historical recalibration’ was intended to reflect the evolution of handicapping methodology in the interim, but was described by the late Walter Swinburn as ‘baffling’.
Bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms, under the auspices of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud, and trained by Guy Harwood, Pulborough, Dancing Brave won eight of his ten races. In 1986, the son of Lyphard enjoyed an illustrious three-year-old campaign, winning the 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Indeed, his performance in the latter race, which included the Derby winner, Sharastani, Prix du Jockey Club winner, Bering and Champion Stakes winner, Triptych, among others, was one of the most memorable in the history of the Longchamp showpiece. Switched off at the rear of the field by jockey Pat Eddery, Dancing Brave was still among the backmarkers at the entrance to the short, three-furlong straight. Switched to the wide outside, and asked for maximum effort, with a furlong-and-a-half to run, Dancing Brave produced a scintillating turn of foot, sweeping past a dozen rivals in the closing stages to win comfortably.
Unfortunately, though, Dancing Brave will also be remembered equally well for the exaggerated –
and, in the eyes of many observers, woefully misjudged – waiting tactics employed by jockey Greville Starkey in the Derby. Nigh on last of the seventeen runners rounding Tattenham Corner, Dancing Brave made relentless progress all the way up the straight, but failed by half a length to overhaul Dante Stakes winner Sharahstani. Although defended by Harwood, among others, Starkey was inevitably blamed, with some justification, for setting Dancing Brave an impossible task.