IT doesn’t take long before the great deeds of yesteryear fade away with time’s passage. Occasionally, however, a moment of magic shines so brightly that it becomes definitive. One such moment was Dancing Brave’s victory in the 1986 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
It all distilled down to that final flourish, that electric surge of acceleration when all seemed lost, and the sheer audacity of Pat Eddery in the saddle.
While Pat was convinced no horse could resist Dancing Brave in full cry, the broader question was whether the three-year-old could reproduce his best towards the end of an arduous season. French turfistes doubted he could peak again at Longchamp in October. Besides, they had their own totem in Bering, a stirring winner of the French Derby, when he’d lowered the track record by more than one second.
Although Bering was good enough to have won nine out of 10 Arcs, victory for Dancing Brave merely endorsed what had become evident as he waltzed his way through a succession of big races. He was an equine comet who blazed from April to October. He barely paused for breath.
“He waltzed his way through a succession of big races”
Of course, the fact
