Highclere (1971–1992) was a British

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse owned by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. In a racing career lasting from summer 1973 until October 1974 she ran eight times and won three races. Highclere won one minor race as a two-year-old but improved to win 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 (1,609 ...

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 ...

and

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 metre ...

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department **US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missou ...

. She later finished second to

Dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

in 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 ...

at Ascot. She retired at the end of the season to become a highly successful and influential

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 ...

Background

Highclere was a bay

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

, bred in England by her owner, Queen Elizabeth II. She was sired by the

Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and ...

winner Queen's Hussar, whose reputation as a stallion had previously rested almost entirely on the fact that he was the sire of

Brigadier Gerard Brigadier Gerard is the comedic hero of a series of 17 historical short stories, a play, and a major character in a novel by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a Hussar officer in the French Army during the Napoleon ...

. Her dam Highlight won two minor races and was a daughter of

Hypericum ''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hype ...

, who won the 1000 Guineas for

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

in 1946. As a descendant of the broodmare Feola, Highclere came from the same branch of Thoroughbred family 2-f which produced

Round Table The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...

, Pebbles and

Aureole An aureola or aureole (diminutive of Latin ''aurea'', "golden") is the radiance of luminous cloud which, in paintings of sacred personages, surrounds the whole figure. In Romance languages, the noun Aureola is usually more related to the d ...

. The filly was named after

Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about south of Newbury, ...

, the home of the Queen's racing manager, Lord Carnarnvon. Highclere 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 ...

at his stables in

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 ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. Her regular jockey was

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 ...

Racing career

1973: two-year-old season

Highclere ran three times as a two-year-old in 1973. After finishing second 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 se ...

at Newmarket behind

Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

, she was moved up in class for the

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 ...

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 and ...

, and finished second again, though this time beating Polygamy. On her final start, she won the Donnington Stakes at Newbury, but was not particularly impressive. At the end of the season she was allotted a weight of 109 pounds in the Free Handicap, a rating of the best two-year-olds to have raced in Britain. The rating placed her twenty-two pounds below the top-rated

Apalachee The Apalachee were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, specifically an Indigenous people of Florida, who lived in the Florida Panhandle until the early 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River,Bobby ...

, and nine pounds below Bitty Girl, Gentle Thoughts and Melchbourne who tied for the position of best filly.

1974: three-year-old season

On Highclere's first appearance of 1974 she contested the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Wearing blinkers for the first time she started at odds of 12/1 in a field of fifteen fillies. The closing stages of the race saw a struggle between Highclere and the Peter Walwyn-trained favourite

. with the Queen's filly prevailing by a short head. The win gave the British monarch her second fillies' Classic win, seventeen years after Carrozza won The Oaks. It was believed that the course and distance of the Oaks would not suit Highclere, and so the filly was rerouted to the French equivalent, the

over 2100 m at

. With her owner in attendance, Highclere won by two lengths from

Comtesse de Loir Comtesse de Loir (1971 – after 1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In her three-year racing career, she won only one important race, the Prix Saint-Alary in 1974. but was placed in numerous major events including the ...

. On their return from France Dick Hern and Joe Mercer were invited to dine with the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. In July, Highclere raced against colts and older horses in Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot. Highclere finished second, beaten two lengths by the French four-year-old filly Dahlia, who was winning the race for the second year. Highclere failed to reproduce her best form in her two remaining races. She finished unplaced behind Dahlia in the

Benson and Hedges Gold Cup Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom *Benson, Oxfordshire ...

and was also unplaced in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

a race in which

Allez France Allez France (24 May 1970 – 11 December 1989) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Winner of the French 1000 Guineas, the French Oaks and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she was one of the greatest-ever ...

beat Comtesse de Loir by a head. Highclere was then retired to stud.

Retirement

Highclere produced several winners, the best of whom were the colt Milford and the filly Height of Fashion, both of whom won 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 ...

. Height of Fashion went on to produce the

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 at ...

and

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

winner

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 ...

as well as the multiple Group winners Nayef and

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 ...

. Another of Highclere's daughters, Burghclere, produced Wind In Her Hair, the dam of Deep Impact. Highclere died in 1992. Her named foals include: *1976/04/29 =Milford (GB), ch colt by

Mill Reef Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

– 3 wins from 8 starts, including Princess of Wales's Stakes *1977/04/26 =Burghclere (GB), b filly by = Busted (GB) – 1 win from 6 starts. second dam of Deep Impact. *1978/04/30 =Beacon Hill (GB), ch filly 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 ...

(GB) – winless in 3 starts. *1979/04/14 Height of Fashion (FR), b filly by =Bustino (GB) – champion, multiple stakes winner. dam of Nashwan, Nayef and Unfuwain. second 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 ...

*1982/04/14 =Bright Sun (GB), b filly by Mill Reef – unraced *1985/04/14 Highbrow (GB), bay filly, by

Shirley Heights Shirley Heights (1 March 1975 – 17 March 1997) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and winner of the Derby in 1978. The colt had previously won the Royal Lodge Stakes and the Dante Stakes, and he went on to win the Irish Derby before his ra ...

(GB) - 1 win and 6 placings, including 2nd Ribblesdale Stakes. Dam of multiple winners. second dam of

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* 1987/04/11 Marienski (USA), b colt by Nureyev – 1 win from 8 starts *1988/05/10 Wily Trick (USA), b filly by Clever Trick 1976 – winless in 5 starts. dam of Elegant Fashion (Hong Kong Derby) *1989/04/29 Hierarch (USA), ch colt by

Diesis In classical music from Western culture, a diesis ( , plural dieses ( , "difference"; Greek: δίεσις "leak" or "escape"Benson, Dave (2006). ''Music: A Mathematical Offering'', p.171. . Based on the technique of playing the aulos, where p ...

(GB) – 2 wins from 22 starts in Europe and America * 1990/05/09 Scarlet Tunic (USA), dk b/ colt by

Blushing Groom Blushing Groom (8 April 1974 – 6 May 1992) was a French champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background He was bred by American businessman John McNamee Sullivan and was raced by Aga Khan IV, HH Aga Khan IV. A ...

(FR) – 1 win from 10 starts * 1992/02/02 Clear Attraction (USA), bay filly by

Lear Fan Lear Fan (2 February 1981 – 7 July 2008) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. One of an exceptionally strong generation of European racehorses he was one of the leading two-year-olds when he was unbeaten i ...

(USA) – unplaced in 1 start The family is still producing stakes winners around the world. For example,

Talismanic Talismanic (foaled February 28, 2013) is a retired British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who achieved his greatest success in America in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Turf. Background Talismanic is a "photogenic" dark bay horse with a lar ...

, winner of the 2017

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

, descends from Highclere through Burghclere.

Assessment and honours

Highclere was given a rating of 129 by

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

. In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Highclere a "superior" winner of the 1000 Guineas and the forty-sixth best filly or mare trained in Britain or Ireland in the 20th century.

Pedigree

Highclere was inbred 3x4 to Hyperion, meaning that the stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree. She was also inbred 4x4 to Fair Trial.

References

{{Elizabeth II 1971 racehorse births 1992 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-f 1000 Guineas winners