Height of Fashion (14 April 1979 – 29 July 2000) was French-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth II, she was undefeated in her three races as a two-year-old in 1981, winning the

Acomb Stakes The Acomb Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at York over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each yea ...

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

and

Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is sche ...

. The following year she added a win in the Lupe Stakes before a record-breaking victory in the

Princess of Wales's Stakes The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlo ...

. She ran poorly in her two remaining races and was retired to stud at the end of the season. Height of Fashion proved to be an exceptional broodmare, producing the major stakes winners

Unfuwain Unfuwain (5 March 1985 – 16 January 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. In a career of ten starts, lasting from 1987 to 1989, he won four Group races and was placed in the Ki ...

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing a ...

and Nayef. She died in Kentucky in 2000.

Background

Height of Fashion was a "massive" bay mare bred by her owner Queen Elizabeth II. She was one of the best horses sired by

Bustino Bustino (foaled 1971) was a British Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from August 1973 until July 1975 he ran nine times and won five races. He was the best British three-year-old of 1974, when his wins includ ...

, who 1973

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

and the 1974

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

as well as finishing second to Grundy in a famous race for the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

. Her dam Highclere won the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...

and the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...

for the Queen in 1974 and went on to become an influential broodmare. Apart from Height of Fashion and her descendants, she was also the ancestor of the Japanese champion Deep Impact. The filly was sent into training with

Dick Hern William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions. Following his early career ...

West Ilsley West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 Census was 332. Location and amenities It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury on the Berkshire Downs. The companion village ...

in Berkshire.

Racing career

1981: two-year-old season

Height of Fashion began her racing career in the Acomb Stakes (now a Group Three race) at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350 ...

. Racing against colts, she won from Ashenden with Count Pahlen (later to win the

William Hill Futurity The Vertem Futurity Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) ...

) in third place and was ridden by

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

, replacing the injured

Willie Carson William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Life and career Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...

. After the race, Hern described the winner as "a grand filly" who closely resembled her dam Highclere. She was then moved up to Group Three class for the May Hill Stakes at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

and was ridden to victory by the veteran

Joe Mercer Joseph Mercer, OBE (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English football player and manager. Mercer, who played as a defender for Everton and Arsenal in his footballing career, also went on to manage Aston Villa, Manchester City and Engl ...

at odds of 4/6. Mercer was again the jockey when Height of Fashion ran next in the Hoover Fillies' Mile at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

. She started at odds of 15/8 and completed an undefeated first season by beating the Waterford Candelabra Stakes winner Stratospheric.

1982: three-year-old season

Height of Fashion began her second season in the Lupe Stakes at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in la ...

in May. She was hampered when Devon Air fell directly in front of her and it was only after a "monumental struggle" that she prevailed by two lengths from her stable companion Round Tower. She was considered a contender for the

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ( ...

but bypassed the race as it was felt that she would be unsuited to the course at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

. The filly did not race again until July when she ran against colts and older horses in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...

where she wore blinkers for the first time. She was made the 4/1 second favourite behind Ardross, an outstanding stayer who had won the last two runnings of the Ascot Gold Cup. Ridden by

, Height of Fashion led from the start and produced a career-best performance to win by two lengths in course record time from Amyndas, with Ardross in third. Following her win at Newmarket, Height of Fashion was sold for a reported £1.5 million to Hamdan Al Maktoum. Later in July, Height of Fashion ran in her first Group One race when she was the only filly to contest the thirty-second running of the

at Ascot. She never recovered after banging her head on exiting the starting stalls and finished seventh of the nine runners behind

Kalaglow Kalaglow (1978–1994) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. In a career which lasted from August 1980 until October 1982 he ran fourteen times and won ten races. He is most notable for his performances in 1982 when he ...

. On her final appearance on 17 August she failed to recover her previous form as she finished last behind Awaasif in

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

Stud record

Height of Fashion was retired from racing to become a broodmare for Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stud in Kentucky. Her offspring included: *Alwasmi (USA), bay colt, foaled 1984, sired by

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

(CAN), won G3

John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs () a ...

Newbury *

(USA), bay colt, 1985, by Northern Dancer (CAN), won G2

, Newmarket; G3 John Porter Stakes, Newbury; G3

Chester Vase The Chester Vase is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 63 yards () at Che ...

, Chester; G2

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on ...

, Newmarket; 2nd G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot; *

(USA), chestnut colt, foaled 1 March 1986, by Blushing Groom (FR), won G1

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...

, Newmarket; G1 Epsom Derby, Epsom; G1 Eclipse Stakes, Sandown; G1

, Ascot; *Mukddaam (USA), bay colt, foaled 20 March 1987, by Danzig (USA), won 3 races, including LR Fred Archer Stakes, Newmarket; 2nd G2

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...

, Royal Ascot; G2 Princess of Wales's Stakes, Newmarket; *Manwah (USA), chestnut filly, foaled 1 May 1988, by Lyphard (USA) - placed 4 times from 5 starts in England 1991 *Bashayer (USA), brown filly, foaled 30 January 1990, by

Mr Prospector Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, i ...

(USA), won 2 races and placed 6 times including 2nd LR Cheshire Oaks from 12 starts in England 1992-93 *Wijdan (USA), chestnut filly, foaled 4 April 1991, by Mr Prospector (USA), won 2 races and placed 3 times from 5 races in England 1993-94 *Deyajeer (USA), bay filly, 1992, by

Dayjur Dayjur (6 February 1987 – 25 September 2013) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he ran eleven times between June 1989 and October 1990 and won seven races. In 1990 he dominated European sprint ...

(USA) - unraced *Sarayir (USA), bay filly, foaled 7 April 1994, by Mr Prospector (USA), won 3 races including LR Oh So Sharp Stakes, Newmarket and placed twice from 8 starts in Britain 1996-7; dam of

Ghanaati Ghanaati (foaled 28 March 2006) is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from September 2008 and October 2009 she ran six times and won three races. After winning one minor race as a two-year-o ...

(USA), won G1 1000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket; G1 Coronation Stakes, Royal Ascot *Burhan (USA), brown colt, foaled 6 April 1995, by

Riverman Riverman (1969–1999) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Foaled in Kentucky, Riverman was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family. Riverman was from the mare River Lady and sired by Guggenheim's s ...

(USA) - unraced * Nayef (USA), bay colt, foaled 1 May 1998, by

Gulch In xeric lands, a gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Sudden intense rainfall upstream may produce flash floods in the bed of the gulch. ...

(USA), won 9 races including G1 Champion Stakes, Newmarket; G1

International Stakes The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2, ...

, York; G1

Dubai Sheema Classic The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately miles; 2410 metres since 2010) on the turf track a ...

, Nad Al Sheba; G1

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 ...

, Royal Ascot; G3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes, Haydock; G3 Select Stakes, Goodwood; G3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes, Ascot; LR Autumn Stakes, Ascot; placed 7 times including 2nd G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot; 2nd G1 Eclipse Stakes, Sandown, from 20 starts in England, Ireland and Dubai 2000-2003 Height of Fashion was in foal to A P Indy when she died at Shadwell's Kentucky base on 29 July 2000.

Pedigree

References

{{Elizabeth II 1979 racehorse births 2000 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-f