Hula Dancer was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 filly

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. She was sired by Native Dancer

Native Dancer

Native Dancer , nicknamed the Grey Ghost, was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in history, the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was one of the best horses produced in USA after the war...

, the 1952 and 1954 United States Horse of the Year

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year

The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....

 and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...

 inductee. Owner Gertrude Widener

Gertrude T. Widener

Gertrude T. Douglas Widener was an American socialite and a successful Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Born in Albany, New York, she was the daughter of New York State Senator, Curtis N...

 raced Ambrose Light in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and brought him to the United States to stand at stud

Horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...

 where he sired Hula Dancer's dam, Flash On.

Gertrude Widener sent Hula Dancer to trainer Etienne Pollet at his stables at Chantilly Racecourse

Chantilly Racecourse

Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....

 in France. Racing as a two year old in 1962, she defeated colt

Colt (horse)

A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....

s while winning the Prix de la Salamandre

Prix de la Salamandre

The Prix de la Salamandre was a Group 1 flat horse race in France which was open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1872, and it was...

 and the Grand Critérium

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère

The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.It is the oldest and most prestigious race in France...

, two of France's most important races for her age group.

At age three, Hula Dancer raced both in France and in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 where she again defeated colts on a regular basis as well as older horses in the Champion Stakes

Champion Stakes

The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...

 at Newmarket Racecourse

Newmarket Racecourse

The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...

. The highlight of her 1963 racing campaign was a victory in the British Classic, the 1,000 Guineas.

Hula Dancer was the first racehorse of her sex to win over 100,000 pounds in Europe. The quality of horses she beat is evidenced by the fact that every one of her six conditions race

Conditions races

Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...

 wins are now Group 1

Group One

Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...

 events.

Hula Dancer was retired to broodmare duty in France. In 1968, Raymond Guest

Raymond R. Guest

Commander Raymond Richard Guest OBE Commander Raymond Richard Guest OBE Commander Raymond Richard Guest OBE (November 25, 1907 – December 31, 1991 was an American businessman, thoroughbred race horse owner and polo player. He was United States Ambassador to Ireland.-Biography:...

 paid a European auction record price of 1.02 million French franc

French franc

The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...

s for her. She was shipped to the United States in 1970. Hula Dancer met with limited success as a broodmare.