Leilani was a champion

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 ...

racemare that was bred in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and raced in Australia. She won six Group One races and a total of 12 black type equivalent races, during her short racing career. At the time of her retirement she held the Australasian earnings record for a mare.

Pedigree

Leilani was by the outstanding racehorse and sire Oncidium, her dam was the very good racemare, Lei by Summertime. Lei won 16 races and was the dam of four foals, and the three which raced were by Oncidium, making them full siblings to Leilani.Pring, Peter; "Analysis of Champion Racehorses", The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977, These three horses were all winners, with Ready O'Ready becoming a stakes winner.

Racing record

During her racing career Leilani was part owned by prominent Australian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

Andrew Peacock Andrew Sharp Peacock (13 February 193916 April 2021) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions (1983–1985 and 1989–1990), leading the pa ...

At three years: 1973-74

Her principal race wins included: * 1974

AJC Oaks The Australian Oaks is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies at set weights run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in the autumn during the ATC Championships series. The Aus ...

over 2,400 metres * 1974 AJC Princess Handicap, 2,000 metres

At four years: 1974-75

In 1974 Leilani started as the favourite horse and finished second in the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melb ...

. Her principal race wins included: * 1974 VATC

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

, 2,400 metres * 1974 VATC

Toorak Handicap The Toorak Handicap is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run as an open handicap race, over a distance of 1,600 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia. Currently, the prizemoney is A$1,000,000. History The ...

, 1,600 metres * 1974 VRC

LKS Mackinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on ...

, 2,000 metres * 1974 VRC Queen's Cup, 2,500 metres * 1974 VRC

Turnbull Stakes The Turnbull Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, for horses four years old and older, run under set weights with penalties conditions over a distance of 2,000 metres. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse, Me ...

, 2,000 metres * 1975 VATC

C F Orr Stakes The C F Orr Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in February. Total prize money is A$750,000. Histo ...

, 1,400 metres * 1975 VATC

St George Stakes The Peter Young Stakes, registered as the St George Stakes, is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions over a distance of 1800 metres at Caulfield racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late Febru ...

, 1,800 metres * 1975 VRC Australian Cup, over 2,000 metres carrying 58.5 kilograms. * 1975 VRC Queens Plate, 2,000 metres

At five years: 1975-76

Leilani was injured as a five-year-old and only had six starts for a win in the 1976 VATC St George Stakes over 1,800 metres at

Weight for Age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...

(WFA) conditions. She was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame as the 1975 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year. Leilani's trainer

Bart Cummings James Bartholomew Cummings (14 November 1927 – 30 August 2015), also known by his initials J. B. Cummings, was one of the most successful Australian racehorse trainers. He was known as the Cups King, referring to the Melbourne Cup, as he w ...

named his stables 'Leilani Lodge' at

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarter ...

Stud record

Leilani produced three named foals in Australia and New Zealand; however none of them won a stakes race. * 1988 filly Skylarking (foaled in Australia) by Twig Moss (foaled in France) produced one stakeswinner. * 1979 filly Paulownia (foaled in New Zealand) by In The Purple. * 1978 stallion Silver Lei (foaled in NZ) by Silver Dream, stood at stud, but has not sired any stakeswinners.ASB: Leilani (NZ)
Retrieved 2010-1-12 Leilani died on 2 May 1990. Leilani is Hawaiian for Heavenly Flower/Child

References

{{Reflist 1970 racehorse births 1990 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 8-k Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Australia Caulfield Cup winners Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses