Broodmare gem Fire Dancer keeps producing for Kevin

Only a moderate as a racehorse, the Courage Under Fire mare Fire Dancer is proving an absolute star in the breeding barn for her ownership group including champion Canterbury horseman Kevin Townley.

When the seven-year-old South Seas Rock (by A Rocknroll Dance) came from second last to round up his opposition at Menangle last Saturday in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.7, he lifted his dam's progeny earnings to beyond $700,000.

It was the gelding's 15th success and his third on Australian soil. He previously won 12 races in New Zealand including seven during his five-year-old campaign.

South Seas Rock is the fifth foal of Fire Dancer.

Racing from three to five years, Fire Dancer won twice with three placings from 34 starts for $13,037.

"She had plenty of speed but she wasn't a particularly genuine racehorse," Townley, who shares ownership with his wife Margaret, Erin Fox and Neil Conner, said.

Her first foal, Foxy Dame (by Badlands Hanover), won 16 races in NZ, Australia and North America, earned $232,101, took a mile record of 1:52.8 and was an above average mare.

The next two foals, Bettor Be Noisy (by Bettor's Delight) and Rakiura Rock (by A Rocknroll Dance), both notched single successes at the Australian provincials.

However, Fire Dancer's fourth foal Fire Fox really put the family firmly in the spotlight. After winning four races in his homeland the Sweet Lou gelding was exported to NSW in 2022, where he has gone to another level.

"He was a very fast horse who didn't quite make the top grade here," Townley said.

Fire Fox has won a further 10 races in his adopted country including seven at Menangle and improved his stake tally to $258,462. He has twice gone inside 1:50 and holds a mile mark of 1:49.2.

Her sixth foal, Just Foxin (by Sweet Lou), won twice before fracturing a sesamoid bone and is now a riding horse.

Next, to the cover of Always B Miki, Fire Dancer produced the two-year-old filly Foxy Dancer, who is being trained by Rangiora horseman Geoff Dunn.

"I've got a yearling colt out of her by Sweet Lou who is bowling along really nice and a lovely looking younger sister by him," Townley said. "I'd expect both those two to make the grade."

Fire Dancer, now in her 22nd year, is living out her retirement at Nevele R Stud.

Townley, who has six horses in work at his Russley base, has been involved with Fire Dancer's family for three generations.

"I trained her grand-dam Davenport and bred one foal out of her called Shania," he recalled.

"I leased Shania out to race. She had a lot of ability. She was probably better than her record shows. It's not surprising that she has bred on."

At stud Shania left seven foals, two of whom were successful in Mach Twain, a winner at Menangle, Harold Park and Melton, and Fire Dancer.