The sad passing last Thursday of HM Queen Elizabeth II has resonated across the globe. Not only has the world lost one of its most respected monarchs, the racing industry also lost arguably its greatest ambassador.
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret visit Kenilworth
Incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the game, the late monarch registered victories in all of the English classics barring the coveted Derby.
She was also a renowned breeder and although Gr1 success eluded her in latter years, bloodlines nurtured at her Royal Studs continue to course through the veins of many a champion, of which most fittingly, the latest is the unbeaten Baaeed.
The brilliant Baaeed
Described by many as the second coming of the mighty Frankel, and boasting a flawless ten-win career following a facile victory in last month’s Gr1 Juddmonte Stakes, the Shadwell homebred descends from The Queen’s Height Of Fashion, who features as his fifth dam, through her stakes-placed daughter Bashayer.
Let’s focus on Height Of Fashion though. Foaled in France in 1979, she was by St Leger winner Bustino, who stood his entire stallion career at the royal stud and was out of a mare by The Queen’s Doutelle. Her dam was The Queen’s English 1000 Guineas and French Oaks winner Highclere, herself a granddaughter of the 1000 Guineas winner Hypericum and a great grandaughter of the Royal Stud’s famed blue hen mare, Feola, who achieved lasting fame as the grandam of Aureole and Round Table. She thus hailed from a female line which had been nurtured at the stud since Feola’s purchase in 1934.
Royal great – Height Of Fashion
Put into training with Major Dick Hern, Height Of Fashion went through an unbeaten juvenile season, which earned her the crown of Champion two-year-old Filly. She started her career with a victory against colts in the Acomb Stakes at York under Lester Piggott before claiming both the May Hill Stakes and the Hoover Fillies Mile, earning her the plaudit of a ‘grand filly’, from her famous trainer. A big, gangling individual, she was described by Timeform as having a ‘magnificent, long-striding action’ and she grew into a lengthy, lean individual.
The winter favourite for the Oaks, the filly’s three-year-old season took rather a different course, however. She made a winning return in May when victorious in the Listed Lupe Stakes at Goodwood, albeit that she was hampered when future South African champion Devon Air fell directly in front of her.
That effort, coupled with her size, prompted her connections to pull her out of the Epsom classic as it was thought the tricky gradients at Epsom would not suit her, even if she were good enough for the event.
The magnificent Right Approach
She only reappeared in July for the Gr2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket and equipped with blinkers for the first time, she put up a forceful display of front-running, galloping her male rivals off their feet to win, the vanquished including the grand dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Ardross.
In fact, she went off at such a strong pace that she broke the 2400m course record previously held by her half-brother Milford.
Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Height Of Fashion had been sold to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. The price was reportedly between $1.5 and $2 million, but the loss to the royal broodmare band proved to be incalculable.
Although she failed to add to her record in two subsequent starts for her new owner, her purchase proved a shrewd move as Height Of Fashion became an outstanding foundation mare, one whose influence has been more than profound.
She spent her entire broodmare career in Kentucky, producing twelve foals, which included an unprecedented seven stakes performers, of which six are stakes winners. Height Of Fashion started her broodmare career by visiting the mighty Northern Dancer, a horse as different in type from her as could be. The resultant foal, Alwasmi, a ‘good-bodied and attractive colt’, won the John Porter Stakes and finished fourth in the Irish St Leger.
The Royal party driving down the course on the first day of Royal Ascot, 17th June 1975
His younger full brother, the ‘rangy, strong and attractive’ Unfuwain, emulated his dam in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, slaughtering his rivals by 15 lengths and also finished a game second behind Michael Roberts-partnered Mtoto in the Gr1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
However, it was Height Of Fashion’s third foal which proved to be her crowning achievement. Sent to the elegant, racy Blushing Groom, she produced a chestnut colt in 1986 who would stride across equine history as Nashwan.
Very much his mother’s son, here was a big, rangy, deep-girthed colt, described by Timeform as ‘a giant in stature and a most spectacular mover with a magnificent, ground-devouring, graceful action.’
Like his dam he was trained by Major Dick Hern and showed his talent by winning both juvenile starts.
However, he will be remembered as the horse who made the 1989 English flat season, displaying a degree of versatility all too rare in the modern thoroughbred. He becam the first colt since Nijinsky II to complete the Guineas/Derby winner, cruising to a five-length win in the Epsom classic.
The Queen and her racing manager Lord Porchester watch the finish of the 1978 Epsom Derby
In the Eclipse Stakes, he scored a rousing success, wiping out a six-length deficit on the pacesetter to take the lead two furlongs out. However, the exertions had clearly caught up with the colt when he reappeared just two weeks later for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, where he prevailed by a hard-fought neck. Nashwan started just once more, that when a well-beaten finish third in the Prix Niel.
Height Of Fashion’s last colt Nayef, foaled in 1998, carried Sheikh Hamdan’s silks to victory in all of the Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes, Gr1 Champion Stakes, Gr1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Height Of Fashion produced five fillies, the best of which proved to be Sarayir, a daughter of breed-shaping stallion Mr Prospector. She scored twice at Listed stakes level and as a broodmare, added to the family’s classic success as the dam of Ghanaati, who completed the Gr1 1000 Guineas/Coronation Stakes double.
Her full sister Bashayer failed to win full black type, although she did run second in the Listed Cheshire Oaks. She became grandam of Lahudood, a dual winner of the Gr1 Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf and Gr1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes. By Singspiel, she features as the grandam of Baaeed.
Height Of Fashion died in July 2000 while in foal to A P Indy and is buried at her owner’s Shadwell Farm in Kentucky.
History will show that The Queen’s parting with Height Of Fashion was a questionable bloodstock management decision. That said, whether Height Of Fashion would have achieved the same degree of success had she remained in the Royal Studs is a matter of conjecture. Suffice to say, that this female line has performed with unstinting distinction can be gauged from the fact that it has achieved success on a global scale.
Nashwan, Unfuwain and Nayef all became Gr1 sires, while Burghclere, by Busted out of Highclere, and thus a three-part sister to Height Of Fashion, is the grandam of the Japanese sire sensation Deep Impact.
Not surprisingly, the Queen’s influence also resonated across the South African breeding industry.
How can we forget the diminutive High Veldt, who played such an integral part in the success of the all-conquering Birch Brothers during the sixties?
Of a more recent vintage was former Wilgerbosdrift stallion Right Approach, a close relative of Height Of Fashion. Bred and initially owned by The Queen, his grandam Christchurch was a half-sister to Highclere. Lastly, Deep Impact is sire of exciting Mauritzfontein newcomer Danon Platina.
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