The following list shows the line of descent for some of the major winners from the Northern Dancer sire line, focusing on winners of the principal three-year-old Classic races, as these have long been used to evaluate a stallion's success, and some of the highest quality races for older horses around the world based on International Federation of Horseracing Authorities rankings. Select notable races from around the world have been included as well.
Races included and number of winners
The following races were selected based on notability (for example, the English Classic and American Triple Crown races), quality (as measured by the IFHA ranking of the top 100 G1 races), and geography (to sample racing from around the world). The list also shows how many winners of the given race descend from the Northern Dancer sire line.