Vernon Dancer

Vernon Dancer (August 3, 1923 – September 5, 2000) was an American harness racing driver and horse trainer.

Early life Vernon John Dancer was born in Red Valley, New Jersey, United States, on August 3, 1923.

His parents were James and Helen Dancer. He was an older brother of famed harness racer Stanley Dancer.

Career Farming career As a youth, he became a member of the Monmouth County 4-H dairy club in the mid-1930s. His registered Guernsey cow, Hillbreeze Adonis Seven, produced over 500 pounds of fat as a two-year-old in 1940, earning him recognition and production awards in 1941 and 1942.

In 1944, he purchased 190 acres of farmland from his father for $10,000. He sold 95 acres to his brother Stanley in 1947 for $5,000, who built a house, a training track, and horse barns while he farmed tomatoes and potatoes. He found success as a farmer in New Jersey. He left behind farming his 95-acre property to concentrate on horse training and racing. He entered the top 25 in earnings and dash wins in 1959 and stayed on the money list every year afterward, frequently placing near the top in race victories. In 1963, he established a track record at Monticello Raceway with Lyss Hanover. The following year, he crossed the 1,000-win milestone and had already banked over $6 million in career winnings.

He became one of the most successful contract trainers in the United States.

During the 1969 Grand Circuit, Dancer piloted Victory Star, whom he broke, trained, and drove to honors as the season's leading two-year-old trotting colt and top-earning juvenile. He drove the three-year-old to win the $100,000 Yonkers Trot.

He developed Honeysuckle Rose, one of his best-known horses, a multiple stakes winner that never broke stride in her career. Dancer also drove Smog to victory in the 1973 Cane Pace at Yonkers Raceway while his brother recovered from a back disc issue.

Dancer continued competing at a high level through the mid-1970s. In the 51st Hambletonian Stakes in 1976, he took one of the heats with Zoot Suit.

His driving career was cut short after he suffered several broken bones in his leg during a 1977 accident at Freehold Raceway. Over his career, he amassed 1,723 wins, $8.96 million in earnings, and a 0.395 winning percentage.

In 1997, he played an important part in defeating a New Jersey tax ruling that would have imposed major costs on owners and trainers of Standardbred and Thoroughbred horses across the state.

Personal life A native of Red Valley, Dancer spent his life in New Egypt, New Jersey and married Carolyn Bell. He had two sons: Vernon E. and Donald Dancer.

Death Vernon J. Dancer died at age 77 on September 5, 2000, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He passed away at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and was buried in Jacobstown Cemetery.

Legacy Dancer was inducted into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.