Ma Biche (foaled 1980) was an American-bred, French-trained

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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

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 ...

who won 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 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 ...

in 1983. The

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 ...

was the best racehorse of her age and sex in Europe in 1982 when she won two

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 ...

races: the

Prix Robert Papin The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take ...

in France and the

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes 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 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...

in England. In the following year he defeated a strong field to win the 1000 Guineas, but then suffered from a series of training problems before returning to form in autumn to win the

Prix de la Forêt The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is ...

Background

Ma Biche was a big, powerful, bay or brown mare, with white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her hind legs foaled in Kentucky in January 1980. Her sire Key to the Kingdom was a half brother to

Fort Marcy Fort Marcy may refer to: * Fort Marcy (Virginia), earthwork fort completed in 1862, now a public park * Fort Marcy (New Mexico), fort in Santa Fe used during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War * Fort Marcy (horse) Fort Marcy ...

and was a Grade Three winner, taking the Stymie Handicap at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

in 1974. His other progeny included the

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 ...

winner

Great Communicator Great Communicator (1983–1990) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1988 Breeders' Cup Turf. Owned by George Ackel and trained by his son Thad, Great Communicator was a grandson of the Hall of Fame sire Bold Rul ...

. Ma Biche was the first foal of her dam Madge, a daughter of the racemare Midget whose wins included the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

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

and

. She originally raced in the colours of Ghislaine Head and was trained by Ghislaine's daughter Criquette. She was ridden to her most important successes by Criquette's brother

Freddy Head Freddy Head (born 19 June 1947, in Neuilly, France) is a retired champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and currently a horse trainer. Known also as "Freddie", his grandfather was a jockey as was his father Alec Head who also became a succes ...

. The filly's name is a French

term of endearment A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their ch ...

meaning literally "My Doe".

Racing career

1982: two-year-old season

Ma Biche finished third on her debut in 1982 before winning a race over 1100

metres The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

. At Évry Racecourse she moved up in class and distance to win the

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Prix La Flèche The Prix La Flèche is a Listed flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...

over 1400 metres, defeating a field which included the subsequent

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

winner Interco. The filly was then brought back in distance for the Group One

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

in July. She won from the colt Deep Roots and the British filly Crime of Passion. Deep Roots reversed the form with Ma Biche to win the

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to ...

on firm ground at

Deauville Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy ''région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River t ...

in August and went on to win the

Prix de la Salamandre The Prix de la Salamandre was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it was scheduled to take place each year in Sep ...

. On her final appearance of the season, Ma Biche was sent to England to contest the Group One Cheveley Park stakes over six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s at

in October. She started the 11/4 favourite and won the race, defeating the British filly Favoridge by three quarters of a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

to end the season as the highest-rated filly of her generation in Europe. At the end of the year she was sold for a reported £3 million to Maktoum Al Maktoum.

1983: three-year-old season

On her three-year-old debut in early April Ma Biche won the

Prix Imprudence The Prix Imprudence is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs) at Maisons-Laffitt ...

on soft ground at Maisons-Laffitte, easily beating Dancing Display at odds of 2/5. Later that month she was sent back to England to contest the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course for which she was made 5/2 favourite against seventeen other fillies. Ma Biche was retrained in the early stages by Freddy Head before moving up to take the lead inside the final furlong and winning by one and a half lengths from

Royal Heroine Royal Heroine (1980–2002) was a Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Champion racehorse foaled in Ireland who raced in England and France and then in the United States where she set a North American record for a mile on turf while winning the inaugur ...

, Favoridge and

Habibti Habibti (foaled 1980) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was one of the highest-rated sprinters in European racing history. Habibti was unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the Group Two Lowther Stak ...

. Royal Heroine was later disqualified for failing a post race drug test but went on to set a North American record for one mile on turf when winning the inaugural

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

, whilst Habibti ended the season as Britain's Horse of the Year after a string of outstanding performances over sprint distances. Criquette Head became the first woman to officially train a winner of a British Classic. Ma Biche had training problems after her win at Newmarket and did not reappear until August at Deauville where she finished unplaced behind

Luth Enchantee Luth Enchantee (foaled 1980) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was named the best horse in Europe over one mile in 1983. Her early career was undistinguished, as she won one minor event in her first eight races. In the summer ...

in the

Prix d'Astarte The Prix Rothschild is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville-La Touques Racecours ...

and fourth behind the same filly in the

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile ...

. Ma Biche's last race was the Prix de la Forêt over 1400 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 23 October. She recorded her fourth Group One win, and her first against colts and older horses as she took the lead in the straight and won by half a length from Pampabird.

Assessment

In 1982, the International Classification, compiled by the official handicappers of Britain, Ireland and France awarded Ma Biche a rating of 81, making her the highest rated two-year-old filly in Europe, six pounds behind the leading colt

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 ...

. The independent Timeform organisation also named Ma Biche as the best two-year-old filly, with a rating of 123. In 1983, Ma Biche was rated on 82 in the International Classification, placing her seventh among the European three-year-old fillies. She was given a Timeform rating of 126. In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Ma Biche an "average" winner of the 1000 Guineas.

Stud record

Ma Biche was retired from racing to become a broodmare. She was bred to several leading stallions including

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown. With each successive ...

Shadeed Shadeed (1982–2005) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from October 1984 to November 1985, he ran seven times and won four races. In the 1985 he was the highest-rated three-yea ...

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 ...

and Danzig but produced no important winners. The mating with Blushing Groom (FR) resulted in the filly Blushing Pink (USA). 1988 Miss Fyor (USA) : Bay filly, by Danzig (USA) – Unraced 1998 Blodwen (USA) : Bay filly, foaled 2 April, by Mister Baileys (GB) – unplaced all 8 starts in Britain 2001 2002 King Henrik (USA) : Bay colt (gelded), foaled 15 February, by King of Kings (IRE) – placed fourth once from 12 starts on the flat in Britain 2004-6 and unplaced both starts over hurdles in Britain 2006

Pedigree

References

{{1000 Guineas winners 1980 racehorse births Racehorses trained in France Racehorses bred in Kentucky Thoroughbred family 1-u 1000 Guineas winners