Dancing Maid

After finishing fourth over 1500 metres on her debut, Dancing Maid won a maiden race over 1700 metres at Longchamp Racecourse in October, beating Gayka by half a length.[4]

Dancing Maid began her three-year-old season in the Prix Vanteaux over 1900 metres at Longchamp on 16 April. Starting the 4.4/1 second favourite, she won by one and a half lengths from Reine Mere. The filly was then dropped back in distance for the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches over 1600m two weeks later and was made the 11/10 favourite against nine opponents. She led from the start and was never seriously challenged, winning by five lengths from Fruhlingstag with A Thousand Stars in third.[5]

A month later, Dancing Maid was sent to England and moved up in distance for the 200th running of the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Starting favourite in a field of fifteen fillies she took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish but was strongly challenged by Fair Salinia. In a very close finish, Dancing Maid was caught in the final stride and beaten a short head by the British filly.[6] On 12 July, Dancing Maid was dropped in class and distance to contest the Prix Chloé over 1800 metres at Évry Racecourse. Accompanied by her pacemaker Vallee des Fleurs she started at odds of 3/10 and won by half a length from Tintagel.[5]

On 17 September, Dancing Maid was made the 8/10 favourite for the Group One Prix Vermeille over 2400 metres at Longchamp, in which she was again matched against Fair Salinia. The field also included Calderina (Prix de Malleret), Tempus Fugit (Prix Penelope, Grand Prix de Vichy, Prix de la Nonette), A Thousand Stars and Relfo (Ribblesdale Stakes). Dancing Made tracked Fair Salinia, who set a strong pace but when the fillies turned into the straight Freddy Head found himself trapped on the inside rail with no room to make a challenge for the lead. Inside the final 200 metres a gap final appeared and Dancing Maid immediately accelerated, taking the lead in the final strides and winning by a length from Relfo with Amazer in third. Freddy Head elected to ride Dancing Maid in preference to the colt Gay Mecene when the filly started third favourite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over the same course and distance on 1 October. She produced a strong run in the straight without ever looking likely to win and finished third of the eighteen runners behind the four-year-olds Alleged and Trillion. Two weeks later, Dancing Maid was sent to England for a second time, but failed to reproduce her best form, finishing unplaced behind Swiss Maid in the Champion Stakes.[5]

Dancing Maid remained in training as a four-year-old but made only one appearance. On 29 April she started third favourite for the Prix Ganay over 2100 metres at Loncgchamp but finished sixth of the eight runners behind Frere Basile.[2]