Leading North American stallion Sword Dance has died at Stonehedge Farm in Florida aged 26.

Sword Dance was bred in Ireland by Nijinsky from the Secretariat mare Rosa Mundi.  He was a G2 winner of the 1988 Del Mar Handicap defeating subsequent Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Great Communicator.  

Sword Dance is represented by 23 stakes winners including the 1997 G1 Arlington Million winner Marlin.  He is the damsire of G2 winners Dawn After Dawn and Red Jazz.  The latter is by Johannesburg and won the G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket on October 16.

“Sword Dance was such a consistent sire for so long,” Stonehedge manager Larry King said.  “He was the farm favourite breeder and an easy horse to care for and his legacy lives on through his daughters.”