Fairy Heights (foaled 20 February 1991) was an Irish-bred British-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. In a racing career which lasted from July 1993 until April 1994 she won three of her even races. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies of her generation in Britain in 1993: after finishing unplaced on her debut she won her next three races including the

Sweet Solera Stakes The Sweet Solera Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it ...

and the

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 sc ...

before finishing second in the

Racing Post Trophy The 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), and ...

. After failing to recover her best form in 1994 she was retired from racing. She has had some success as a broodmare in the United States.

Background

Fairy Heights was a bay mare bred in Ireland by Ron Con Ltd and

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004) Towards the end of his life he spent much of his time in Barbados and Australia. Death Sangster died of pancreatic cancer in London, on 7 April 2004, aged 67. British Classic Race wins * 1, ...

's Swettenham Stud. She was sired by Fairy King, an American-bred stallion who was retired after sustaining an injury after a single racecourse appearance in Ireland. He became a very successful breeding stallion, siring major winners including

Turtle Island Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights, Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a creation myth common to se ...

Helissio Helissio (1993–2013) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was European Horse of the Year for 1996. A son of Fairy King by Northern Dancer, he was owned by the Spanish businessman Enrique Sarasola and trained by Élie Lellouche. A seven-tim ...

Oath Traditionally, an oath (from Old English, Anglo-Saxon ', also a plight) is a utterance, statement of fact or a promise taken by a Sacred, sacrality as a sign of Truth, verity. A common legal substitute for those who object to making sacred oaths ...

and

Falbrav Falbrav (28 February 1998 – 12 January 2024) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred in Ireland but trained in Italy and the United Kingdom during his racing career which ran from 2000 to 2004. He is notable for having won Group 1/Grade I ...

. Her dam Commanche Belle failed to win in four races but was a half-sister to several winners including Zimbalon (

Ormonde Stakes The Ormonde Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 5&n ...

) and Band ( Yorkshire Cup). As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the ...

in October 1992 the filly was consigned to the

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. ...

sale and was bought for 41,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

by the trainer Neville Callaghan. Fairy Heights entered the ownership of Frank Golding and was trained by Callaghan at Newmarket.

Racing career

1993: two-year-old season

Fairy Heights made little impact on her racing debut. Starting a 50/1 outsider in a

maiden race In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

over six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...

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

on 8 July she finished seventh of the fourteen runners behind the

Roger Charlton Roger J. Charlton (born 18 January 1950) is an English racehorse trainer and a former flat racing jockey. He trains horses in Beckhampton Stables, near Marlborough in Wiltshire, England. He made an immediate impact as a trainer in England and ...

-trained colt Magnasonic. Eight days later at the same course the filly started 100/30 second favourite for a maiden race over seven furlongs. Ridden by

Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...

, she was held up at the rear of the six-runner field before taking the lead a quarter of mile from the finish and drawing way to win by three and a half lengths from the favourite La Quica. On 7 August the filly was moved up in class for the Listed Sweet Solera Stakes over the same course and distance. Ridden by Alan Munro she started 7/2 second favourite behind the

Harry Thomson Jones Harry Thomson Jones (28 April 1925 – 5 December 2007), known as Tom Jones, was an English racehorse trainer. He was successful in National Hunt racing, training the winners of 12 Cheltenham Festival races before switching to flat racing and g ...

-trained Taghareed in a ten-runner field. After tracking the leaders, Fairy Heights overtook Taghareed inside the final furlong and won by half a length. On 25 September Fairy Heights was stepped up in class and distance to contest the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

Fillies' Mile at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...

. Ridden by

Cash Asmussen Cash Asmussen (born March 15, 1962, in Agar, South Dakota, Agar, South Dakota) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born Brian Keith Asmussen, in 1977 he legally changed his name to "Cash". From a Texas horse racing family, his paren ...

she started at odds of 11/1 in an eleven runner field. The

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven witho ...

winner Hawajiss started favourite ahead of the

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...

-trained Averti, whilst the other runners included Kissing Cousin and A Smooth One (

Princess Margaret Stakes The Princess Margaret Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to tak ...

). Asmussen held the filly up at the rear of the field and turned into the straight in eighth place behind Kissing Cousin. Fairy Heights began to make progress two furlongs out, took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and a half lengths from Dance To The Top, with Kissing Cousin three quarters of a length away in third place. Callaghan later commented "I'm desperately lucky to have her. When I bought her at the sales for 41,000 gns she really caught my eye, and, for once, she was a lucky one because plenty catch the eye and you wish you'd never seen them. She's been a pleasure to deal with from day one". At

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...

on 23 October, Fairy Heights was matched against male opposition and started the 11/8 favourite in a nine-runner field for the

. With Asmussen again in the saddle she raced just behind the leaders before moving into second place behind King's Theatre early in the straight. She stayed on well in the closing stages without ever looking likely to overhaul the colt and finished second, beaten a length, with a gap of three lengths back to Bude in third place.

1994: three-year-old season

Fairy Heights began her second season in the

Nell Gwyn Stakes The Nell Gwyn Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile ...

(a trial race for 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 ...

) over seven furlongs at Newmarket on 12 April. Ridden by

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times (1994, 1995 and 2004) and rode the winners of 287 ...

she started the 5/2 favourite but appeared outpaced in the closing stages and finished fifth of the eleven runners behind

Mehthaaf Mehthaaf (foaled 3 February 1991) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed great promise as a two-year-old in 1993, winning on her second racecourse appearance and going on to finish third in both th ...

. Sixteen days later Fairy Heights was one of fifteen runners to contest the 181st running of the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course and started the 9/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Mehthaaf,

Prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

and Coup de Genie. She was ridden by Eddery and raced prominently for most of the way before fading in the closing stages to finish ninth behind

Las Meninas ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Baroque painting, Spanish Baroque. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting for the way its complex a ...

. In June Fairy Heights entered the ownership Mrs J Maxwell Moran and was transferred to the stable of

Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), in Kildare, is a former jockey, and one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers, setting the record in 2000 for the most winners trained in Ireland with 2,578. He won the Irish Flat Training Champion ...

in Ireland but never raced for her new connections.

Breeding record

After her retirement from racing Fairy Heights became a broodmare in the United States. She hs produced at least fourteen foals and seven winners: *Ransom the Belle, a bay filly, foaled in 1996, sired by Red Ransom. Unraced. *Fairy West, bay filly, 1997, by

Gone West Gone West (March 10, 1984 – September 7, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse. Bred by William O. Reed, he was a son of the influential sire Mr. Prospector. His dam, Secrettame, was a daughter of 1973 United States Trip ...

. Won three races. *Heart on Wave, bay filly, 2000, by

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North A ...

. Won one race. *Plummet, bay filly, 2001, by

Silver Hawk ''Silver Hawk'' () is a 2004 superhero film directed by Jingle Ma and starring Michelle Yeoh, Richie Jen, Luke Goss, Brandon Chang and Michael White. Yeoh plays the title character, a masked comic book style heroine who rides a motorcycle, s ...

. Failed to win in six races. *Hashima, bay filly, 2002, by

Kingmambo Kingmambo (February 19, 1990 – January 20, 2016) was an American-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background He was sired by the leading stallion, Mr. Prospector, who in turn was a son of Raise ...

. Failed to win in ten races. *Mr Mahatan, bay colt, 2004, by

Distorted Humor Distorted Humor (foaled March 19, 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire. Bloodline Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champio ...

. Unraced. *Dynaffair, bay filly, 2005, by

Dynaformer Dynaformer (April 1, 1985 – April 29, 2012) was a Thoroughbred race horse and breeding stallion most notable as the sire of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Background Dynaformer was an unusually large horse, standing high and was bred b ...

. Failed to win in four races. *Highway Code, bay colt (later gelded, 2006, by

Street Cry Street Cry (11 March 1998 – 17 September 2014) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2002 Dubai World Cup, the 2002 Stephen Foster Handicap and runner up in the 2002 Whitney Handicap. He was an international shuttle stallion that stood ...

. Won six races. *Morningsideheights, bay filly, 2007, by

Malibu Moon Malibu Moon (February 23, 1997 – May 18, 2021) was a Thoroughbred stallion bred in Kentucky. Retired young to stud following a racing injury as a two-year-old, Malibu Moon thereafter sired multiple grade I stakes winners, two Eclipse Award win ...

. Won eight races. *Coside, grey colt (later gelded), 2008, by

Cozzene Cozzene (May 8, 1980 – October 7, 2008) was an American Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and outstanding sire. He was bred and raced by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Jo ...

. Failed to win in two races. *Iron King, bay colt (later gelded), 2009, by

Swain Swain, Swains or Swain's may refer to: Places * Swain Islands, Antarctica * Swain's Island (Newfoundland and Labrador), Canada * Swains Island, an atoll in the Tokelau chain, American Samoa * Swain County, North Carolina, United States * Swains ...

. Won two races. *Notional King, bay colt, 2011, by

Notional ::''See Notional amount or Notional profit for economic terms '' Notional (born February 1, 2004, in California) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by In Excess and out of the mare Truly Blessed. His damsire, French Depu ...

. Won one race. *Fairy Luck, brown filly, 2012, by Notional. Failed to win in eight races to date (December 2015). *Ocala Spirit, bay filly, 2013, by Notional. Won one race to date (December 2015).

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1991 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 14-f