When Tomy Lee did not compete in the Preakness Stakes, his jockey Bill Shoemaker rode Sword Dancer to a second-place finish behind Royal Orbit.
In the Belmont Stakes on June 13, Sword Dancer got the better of what was described as a "bitter stretch duel"[1] with Bagdad to win by three-quarters of a length on a muddy track.
He also defeated 1958 Horse Of The Year Round Table for a second time (he was third in the Woodward), beating him by seven lengths in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Aqueduct Racetrack.
In one of his most notable performances, he won a second Woodward Stakes in track record time of 2:01.2 in September, beating a field that included Bald Eagle and T. V.
[4] An ankle injury in the Man O' War Stakes ended his racing career and he was retired to stand at stud at Darby Dan Farm.