The Northern Dancer Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.Named in honor of the horse, Northern Dancer, the Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 8.5 furlongs (1 1/16 miles).The race currently offers a purse of $150,000.Canadian-bred and owned honoree Northern Dancer (1961–1990) won the 1964 Kentucky Derby in record time on the Churchill Downs track.