Bred in Ontario by Ernie Samuel's Sam-Son Farm, Dance Smartly was a bay mare with a distinctive white star on her forehead that earned her the nickname Daisy.

[2] As a two-year-old, Dance Smartly won three of five races, including the Natalma Stakes, and finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Preparing for the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs, Dance Smartly started favouring her front hoof and missed several weeks of training.

[1][4] Despite being hampered by an injury to the suspensory ligament of her right foreleg, Dance Smartly raced four more times at age four, winning once against colts in the Canadian Maturity Stakes.

[2] She also finished second by a nose in the King Edward Cup Handicap and third in the Grade I Beverly D.[1] She then retired as the number one money-winning filly in the world, having won on both turf and dirt, and at distances of up to 1+1⁄2 miles.

[4][5] As a broodmare at Sam-Son Farm, Dance Smartly produced a number of top horses, including the back-to-back Queen's Plate winners Scatter the Gold and Dancethruthedawn (who also won the Go For Wand Handicap), both by Mr. Prospector.

Dance Smartly's second dam No Class was the foundation mare of Sam-Son Farms, producing six stakes winners and four champions including Sky Classic.