A Look Back at…DICE DANCER

This is the first installment of a new Spotlight feature in which I am drawing focus on horses of the past.  The idea for this feature hit me out of the blue, fortunately, I was not injured….at least not this time.  To kick off the feature, I am starting with a mare by the name of Dice Dancer.

Bred out of the pretty obscure bloodline of King Cugat x Alleged x Vaguely Noble, Dice Dancer was making a name for herself when I started playing this game.   Dice Dancer accumulated 26 wins in her career with an amazing win streak of 20 consecutive wins. 

Trainer Runabout was the first owner and breeder of this exciting horse.  Her career began in the late summer of 2004 as a three year old, running in a maiden race on the grass alongside older horses.   She would be sent off as the third choice at 3-1.  Competitive throughout much of the race, staying within a stride or so of the leader, Dice Dancer would tire and fade off to sixth with a speed of 59 for the mile distance.   This race would soon turn out to be the only turf race of her career.

In September of the same year, Dice Dancer moved to the dirt in an open maiden race, restricted to horses of her own age.  In a short field of four, she would pump up her speed to 87 at 3-1, and made a strong move rallying from last to first, winning the 8.5 furlong race by just shy of four strides.

Dice Dancer would quickly turn the age of four as the calendar flipped to 2005, and she would race in several Non-winners of 2 lifetime events.  In fact, it took five tries in this group before she collected her second career win in Norway, winning a nine furlong race with a speed of 94.  By this time, she established herself to be a late runner, although that would not always hold true.

After making 10 career starts, Dice Dancer would bring a record of 2-3-2 into her first stakes outing, the Roo Jessie Stakes.  This was a big jump in distance for her, shooting out at 14 furlongs.  You may say that Trainer Runabout was “rolling the dice” by entering in this event.   The field was a short one with only four runners, so not a bad opportunity to try her in the higher rank levels, where she was the longshot at a decent 5-1.  In the race, she came on late making up 5 strides in the final quarter, but falling short by over three lengths, finishing third.

Seeing that she may need more running room, Trainer Runabout moved her back to the allowance level, and pushed her to the 2 mile marathon.  Appearing in a non-winner of 4 lifetime, Dice Dancer would go off as the 2-1 favorite and blow the field away in a gate-to-wire job with a speed of 85 and winning by nearly a dozen lengths.   This occurred on June 25, 2005 and would launch her amazing win streak.

A month later, Dice Dancer would compete in similar conditions in Ireland, picking up her fourth career win, and beating the field by 7.  August of 2005 would put this gal on the off-track for the very first time.  Running on a good track, she would wire the field by just over a stride, but would show she could handle the off-track conditions.

By the end of 2005, Dice Dance would have a win streak of 6 consecutive races, with all the wins coming at the Newmarket and Ireland race tracks.

In 2006, Dice Dancer would move to Japan where the win streak would continue.  All of the races in Japan would be conditional races, either restricted by CPU value or by horses that raced recently at the raceway.   During the summer of 2006, would win three races with super-low speeds of 37, 47 and 34.  All three of these were won by a minimum of nine lengths.   The “last race at track” and 2-mile distance conditions as well as the prolonged win streak made it hard to find valid competition for this girl.

Dice Dancer would transfer to Dubai by the late summer, and race in two very low end CPU value of 15 races where she easily cruised to victories.  By September, 2006, the win streak would amass to 17 consecutive and controversy would start to swarm over the “easy wins” due to the apparently restrictive race conditions she was racing within. 

Dice Dancer would face tougher competition running against the girls in a $73,100 allowance race.  The tougher field of nine brought the highest odds of her career at 38-1.  But Dice Dancer would persevere, wiring the field of nine by a half-dozen strides.  The race did come with an age restriction of 5 and older and the favorite at even odds, Hunter Green, would finish seventh and retire immediately after the disappointing effort. 

Doubters still were around, and in early December of 2006, Dice Dancer would run again in Dubai, going in the same conditions, this time sent off at 13-1.  This time, Dice Dancer would drop towards the rear of the field and ran down Miss Spin, the front runner and 4-5 favorite, drawing off to an 8-length victory.

Race restrictions would still be controversial, and Dice Dancer would end the 2006 season in a conditional CPU value of 500 with horses 5 and up eligible.   A small five horse field would battle with 8-1 Dice Dancer, with Bonnie Blue Lass looking to end the win streak at 3-5.  But yet again, Dice Dancer would rally from behind and win by four strides.

It was time for Dice Dancer and her connections to show how good this lady could be.  She would kick off the 2007 campaign by appearing in the February running of the Cane Lois Special.  A huge field of 14 would gather, all aiming to end this long lasting win streak.   The field would be led by 9-2 Outta Sight, who brought her own  small win streak of 2 consecutive into the race to square off against the 26-1 Dice Dancer.   The race would see 5-1 LPGA Brass Sword go to the front with the favorite Outta Sight some 7 back at the half.  Dice Dancer was a well back twelve, some 18 strides behind.  She had never in her career fallen so far behind.

By the ¾ pole, Dice Dancer had moved into third, only due to other horses showing they were uncapable of running 2-miles, however, she would still be 16 long lengths behind.  But the girl would give it her all, and dug in hard, charging after LPGA Brass Sword.  This time, she would not be successful as she finished second, a half dozen strides back.  Thus the win streak would end at 20 straight races.  Dice Dancer would record a speed of 93 in the race, the fastest speed since May, 2005.

A month later, she would put in another second in the Well Runs Deep Memorial, once again beat by LPGA Brass Sword.  On May 26, 2007, a stakes win would finally come to Dice Dancer as she would win the Valium For All Special, storming home with a speed of 90 and coming from last to first to win by a stride at 3-1 odds.  This would be the only stakes win in her career.

Moving back to allowance racing in the late summer of 2007, Dice Dancer would win another three races.   After finishing fourth in her first start in February, 2008, Dice Dancer would finally leave trainer Runabout and switch barns to Galaxystar.  She would make two more starts at 14 furlongs and a mile, finishing well off the board in both starts, with the last coming on May 31, 2008.

Over her career, Dice Dancer made 44 starts, winning 26 times, finished second 6 times and third a total of 4.  Career earnings surpassed $768,000 and her highest speed was 100, which came in January, 2005 where she finished a close second running 8.5 furlongs, the one and only time she reached the 100-level in her career.

RETIREMENT

In retirement, Dice Dancer has spawned three children, the oldest being Rays The Dice.  This baby girl is still racing at the age of 7 and recently won a 10.5f turf race with a speed of 110.  She’s had a successful career, winning 12 of 40 thus far with earnings of $463,000.

The second oldest is a son by the name of Slick Dancer, who hasn’t raced since early 2010.  With only $47,000 in earnings, he has not had the same success as his sister or mother.   He has one win in twelve starts.  

Finally, Dice Prancer, a two-year old who launched her career this year has three starts so far and is still trying to get her footing.