Dark Star came into the world in April of 1950. He was by the Australian stallion, Royal Gem II, who was imported into the United States, and was out of the mare, Isolde. At the age of one, Dark Star was sent to Keeneland to be consigned in their yearling sale. The bidding stopped at $6,500, with the final bid going to Harry Frank Guggenheim.
Dark Star didn’t win a lot of races at the age of two when he first joined the competition. His best performance as a two-year-old came with a single victory in the Hialeah Juvenile Stakes. However, he did manage to hit the board in the Futurity Stakes and Juvenile Stakes at Belmont Park, where he was third in both attempts.
Dark Star kicked off his three-year-old campaign with a powerful win in a sprint race at Hialeah Park, but then came up short in his next start, the Florida Derby. With May fast approaching, there was just one prep left for the glistening, mahogany colt before his clash in the Kentucky Derby, and if he wanted to make the race, he would have to prove himself worthy.
Dark Star entered the Derby Trial Stakes before his destined run for the roses. And this time, it would be his rivals that would be left wanting. Dark Star scorched down the track with unstoppable speed, rising to victory by four prevailing lengths. He stopped the clock in a scintillating time of 1:36.00, nearly defeating the time record for the mile dash. Dark Star’s definitive win in the Derby Trial Stakes validated the fact that he belonged in America’s greatest race, and it was off to the Kentucky Derby where Dark Star would leave his eternal mark.
The deadline for the 1953 Kentucky Derby entries was drawing to a close. The entire field had already been entered, except for one. The lone outsider was Dark Star, and after what he did in the Derby Trial Stakes, his connections knew that they could not let this opportunity get away from them. With less than twenty-five minutes left to spare, they delivered the $250 entry fee just in time. Had his connections been any later, the world would not have witnessed one of the greatest upsets in Derby history.
Set at odds of 25-1, the bettors didn’t expect much from Dark Star in the Kentucky Derby. Instead, the attention surrounded the “Gray Ghost”, Native Dancer. Unmatched in eleven starts, the undefeated, silver imperator attracted most, if not all, of the attention. The big, imposing beast had yet to meet a foe he couldn’t pass, and as a result was made the 3/5 favorite. With a large crowd gathered at the track, and nearly three-quarters of America watching from their televisions, it seemed that the entire country was waiting to see Native Dancer rise to his twelfth consecutive victory. However, Dark Star had other plans.
Dark Star broke from the starting gate like a rocket, and instantly made a mad dash for the lead. Swiftly maneuvering his way past his rivals, the sleek, dark colt was able to avoid the frenzied traffic that took place behind him. With clear sailing up front, Dark Star valiantly charged around the oval, unwilling to yield to anyone.
Summoning every ounce of courage and power that he had, Dark Star exploded into the stretch, still swinging and going strong. The field tried to run him down, but the gutsy long shot proved immovable. But then, a familiar face came into view. Out of the clouds of dirt and pounding hooves came none other than, Native Dancer. The phantasmal colored horse came storming after Dark Star, closing in the gap with each and every raging stride he fired. The image of Native Dancer tearing after you would be enough to strike fear into the heart of any foe, as no one had been able to handle his challenges before. However, all of that was about to change. Dark Star had made it this far, and at this point, he was not willing to stand down to anyone.
With a frantic kick of his legs, Dark Star wildly sprinted toward the wire. Native Dancer was rapidly gaining on him, threatening to steal glory away from him in the final strides. The determined duo tenaciously blazed down the stretch, throwing themselves forward with each frenzied leap. Their jockeys relentlessly implored their steeds for more as they clamored down the stretch in an epic duel. Fans across America held their breath in suspense as the pair zeroed in on the finish line. Native Dancer was now dangerously close to Dark Star, but Dark Star wasn’t done yet. With a final, desperate lunge, Dark Star threw himself forward. Flinging his neck down, Dark Star held off the charge of Native Dancer to win by a determined head.
Fans watched in stunned disbelief. For the first time ever, Native Dancer had been conquered, and it came at the hands of a horse that was 25-1. A mixture of shock, heartbreak, and outrage spread across America. Native Dancer fans were left reeling in the reality that their champion had been defeated. As formidable and gallant as his rally was, it was simply not enough to stop the momentum of Dark Star.
The 1953 Kentucky Derby will always be remembered as a day of history, shock, and heartbreak. It was one of the most spectacular and unexpected upsets to ever take place in the sport, as many experts considered a win by Native Dancer to be a foregone conclusion. But it just simply wasn’t meant to be. While Native Dancer went on to claim the Preakness and Belmont Stakes as his own, never losing to a single foe again, Dark Star will never get lost in the shuffle of the Gray Ghost’s greatness because of what he did on the first Saturday in May. Dark Star will forever be remembered as the lone horse that was able to best the great Native Dancer. He is the only horse that was able to steal the roses away from Native Dancer, spoiling his only chance to be among the Triple Crown winners. The Kentucky Derby was Dark Star’s time to shine, and try as they might, nobody was able to burn him out. For it was not rain that ruined the parade of Native Dancer on that fateful, spring day, but a Dark Star.
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