Nijinsky II

Nijinsky II
Nijinsky at the 1970 Irish Derby
Sire	Northern Dancer
Grandsire	Nearctic
Dam	Flaming Page
Damsire	Bull Page
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	21 February 1967
Country	Canada
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Windfields Farm
Owner	Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.
Trainer	Vincent O'Brien
Record	13: 11–2–0
Earnings	$677,177
Major wins
Railway Stakes (1969) Anglesey Stakes (1969) Beresford Stakes (1969) Dewhurst Stakes (1969) Gladness Stakes (1970) 2,000 Guineas (1970) Epsom Derby (1970) Irish Derby (1970) King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1970) St. Leger Stakes (1970)
Awards
15th UK Triple Crown Champion (1970) Timeform Horse of the Year (1970) British Horse of the Year (1970) Leading sire in GB & Ireland (1986) North American leading broodmare sire (1993 & 1994)
Honours
1970 Motion Picture – A Horse Called Nijinsky Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1976) Sun newspaper – Horse of the Millennium Nijinsky Stakes (Canada) Nijinsky Stakes (Ireland)
Last updated on 20 July 2011

Nijinsky (21 February 1967 – 15 April 1992), usually known in the United States as Nijinsky II, was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the outstanding two-year-old in Europe in 1969 when he was unbeaten in five races. In the following season he became the first horse for thirty-five years to win the English Triple Crown.

He was also historically important for establishing the international reputation of his sire Northern Dancer. Retired to stud he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the Leading broodmare sire in North America.

Nijinsky, a bay horse with a white star and three white feet, was bred at E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He was from the second crop of foals sired by Northern Dancer, the winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby who went on to become one of the most influential sires of the 20th century. His dam, Flaming Page, by Bull Page, was a highly successful racemare, winning the 1962 Queen's Plate. At stud, she produced only two other foals, but one of these was Fleur, who produced the 1977 Epsom Derby winner The Minstrel. Nijinsky was a big, powerful horse standing 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) high, resembling his dam rather than his sire in stature.

He was offered for sale at the Windfields Farm's annual yearling auction where he was bought for $84,000 by the American minerals magnate and industrialist Charles W. Engelhard, Jr., acting on the advice of the Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien. It was Engelhard's wife Jane who decided that the colt should be named after the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Nijinsky was shipped to Ireland, where he was trained by O'Brien at Ballydoyle, County Tipperary.