Six Perfections (foaled 2000 in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) is a champion

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 ...

race horse ''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn. Construction ''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...

, bred by the

Niarchos family Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, ...

. She is best known for her 2003 win in the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a conditions races, Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a sod, grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World C ...

Background

Yogya, Six Perfections' dam, is a half sister of to two-time Breeders Cup Mile winner

Miesque Miesque ( ; March 14, 1984 – January 20, 2011) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was highl ...

. Celtic Swing, Six Perfections' sire, had many group one wins, including a first in the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...

(French Derby).

Racing career

Six Perfections was trained by Pascal Bary and finished in third or better in thirteen of her fourteen starts, including a 2nd in the 1,000 Guineas. For her performance in the 2002 racing season Six Perfections earned the Cartier Award for Two-Year-Old European Champion Filly. Six Perfections ran in her second Breeders Cup mile in October 2004, where she finished 3rd. Following this race, the horse was retired to broodmare duties, was mated to

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 ...

and subsequently produced a bay colt. The colt was named Planet Five and won the

Prix du Gros Chêne The Prix du Gros Chêne is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is s ...

in 2010. In the

Eclipse Awards The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected Am ...

for 2003, Six Perfections finished runner-up in the poll for

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

beaten two votes by the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

winner Bird Town.

Legacy

She was dam of four winners - Planet Five (2006), a bay colt by

who won three races including the Group 2

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...

, Faufiler (2011), a bay filly by

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...

, who won five races including the Grade 3

Modesty Handicap The Modesty Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade III race contested over a distance of miles on turf, it is open to fillies and mares aged four and older. Run ...

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

and Mount Everest (2016), also by Galileo, who won the Listed Trigo Stakes at

Leopardstown Leopardstown (), historically called Ballinlore, is a suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains. With institutional lands and a large racecourse, it is divided by the M50 motorway (Ireland), M50 motorw ...

. Her top rated offspring was Yucatan (2014), another Galileo colt, who won the Group 2

Herbert Power Stakes The Herbert Power Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under quality handicap conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 2400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbo ...

at Caulfield in Australia. The Group 3 Prix Six Perfections at

Deauville Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...

is named in her honour. She died in 2019 at the age of 19.

References

Six Perfections' pedigree and partial racing stats

YouTube video of Six Perfections' stretch run to win the 2003 Breeders' Cup Mile

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Six Perfections , f =

Celtic Swing Celtic Swing (21 February 1992 – 4 September 2010) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the French Derby in 1995 and was also known for his performances in the autumn of the previous year, when his wins at Ascot and at Doncaster ...

, m = Yogya , ff = Damister , fm = Celtic Ring , mf =

Riverman Riverman (22 March 1969 – 31 July 1999) was a French Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and highly successful sire. Background Foaled in Kentucky, Riverman was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family. He w ...

, mm = Pasadoble , fff =

Mr Prospector Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was an American 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 s ...

, ffm = Batucada , fmf = Welsh Pageant , fmm = Pencuia Jewel , mff =

Never Bend Never Bend (1960–1977) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1962 American Champion Two-Year-Old and later became a leading sire in England. Racing career 1962: Two-year-old season Foaled at Claiborne Farm for owner/bree ...

, mfm = River Lady , mmf = Prove Out , mmm = Santa Quilla , ffff =

Raise a Native Raise a Native (April 18, 1961 – July 28, 1988) was an undefeated Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse that was named 1963 champion two-year-old colt in the Turf and Sport Digest poll and was the highest rated juvenile in the Experimental Free ...

, fffm = Gold Digger , ffmf = Roman Line , ffmm = Whistle a Tune , fmff = Tudor Melody , fmfm = Picture Light , fmmf =

Petingo Petingo (1965–1976) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1967 until August 1968 he ran nine times and won six races. In 1967 he was unbeaten in three starts including the G ...

, fmmm = Fotheringay , mfff = Nasrullah , mffm =

Lalun Lalun (1952 – 1977) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and successful broodmare. Owned and bred by Harry Frank Guggenheim, Harry Guggenheim, she was trained by Loyd Gentry, Jr. and under jockey Henry Moreno notably won the 19 ...

, mfmf = Prince John , mfmm = Nile Lily , mmff = Graustark , mmfm = Equal Venture , mmmf = Sanctus , mmmm = Neriad } 2000 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Breeders' Cup Mile winners Cartier Award winners Thoroughbred family 20