| Highfield Princess | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Night of Thunder |
| Grandsire | Dubawi |
| Dam | Pure Illusion |
| Damsire | Danehill |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 9 May 2017[1] |
| Country | France |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Trainers House Enterprises Ltd |
| Owner | Trainers House Enterprises Ltd |
| Trainer | John Quinn |
| Record | 31: 12-5-5 |
| Earnings | £1,054,931 |
| Major wins | |
| Buckingham Palace Stakes (2021) Queen Charlotte Fillies' Stakes (2021) All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championships Stakes (2022) Duke of York Stakes (2022) Prix Maurice de Gheest (2022) Nunthorpe Stakes (2022) | |
Highfield Princess (foaled 9 May 2017) is a French-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background edit
Highfield Princess is a bay mare with a white star and three white socks bred in France by her owners Trainers House Enterprises Ltd. As a foal in December 2017 she was offered for sale at Deauville, but failed to attract any bids. In December of the following year she returned to the sales ring at Tattersalls but failed to reach her reserve price of 29,000 guineas.[2] The filly was sent into training with John Quinn at Settrington, North Yorkshire. She has been ridden in most of her races by Jason Hart.
She was from the first crop of foals sired by Night of Thunder who won the 2000 Guineas in 2014 and the Lockinge Stakes in the following year. His other offspring have included Thundering Nights and the Queensland Derby winner Kukeracha.[3] Highfield Princess's dam Pure Illusion showed modest racing ability, winning two minor races from five starts,[4] but has been more successful as a broodmare, producing the July Stakes winner Cardsharp.[5]
Racing career edit
2020: three-year-old season edit
Highfield Princess began her racing career by finishing eighth in a maiden race over seven furlongs at Redcar Racecourse on 18 June. She then ran sixth in a novice race (for horses with no more than two previous wins) over one mile at Thirsk on 6 July and fourth to Dreamloper in a similar event at Redcar three weeks later. For the rest of the season she was mainly campaigned in handicap races, beginning with a third place at Doncaster Racecourse on 15 August. On 29 September she was matched against older horses and male opposition over seven furlongs at Ayr Racecourse and recorded her first success as she won "cosily" by one and quarter lengths from the four-year-old gelding Athmad.[6] Eleven days later she started 6/5 favourite for a handicap on the synthetic Polytrack surface at Chelmsford City Racecourse and won again gaining the advantage a furlong out and coming home two and three quarter lengths clear of her nine opponents.[7] After finishing second to Midnite Bride at Redcar she returned to Chelmsford on 22 October and won "comfortably" by three quarters of a length from Araifjan.[8] She ran second to Ejtilaab at Chelmsford on 5 November and ended her British campaign at the same track on 3 December when she won by a neck from Frozen Ocean after getting the better of a "sustained battle" with the runner-up.[9] For her final run of the season the filly was stepped up in class and sent to France for the Listed Prix Miss Satamixa over 1500 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 19 December when she disputed the lead for most of the way before fading in the closing stages and coming home in eleventh place.
2021: four-year-old season edit
On her first appearance as a four-year-old, Highfield Princess finished third to Boardman in a seven furlong handicap at York Racecourse on 14 May. Two weeks later she was ridden by James Sullivan when she started joint favourite for a similar event on soft ground at Haydock Park and led from the start to win "readily" by five lengths.[10] She was back on the track only three days later when she was beaten a head by Karibana at Chelmsford. The filly was then sent to Royal Ascot to contest the Buckingham Palace Stakes over seven furlongs when she was assigned a weight of 123 pounds and went off at odds of 18/1. The field of 28 fillies and mares split into two groups on either side of the straight course with Highfield Princess racing prominently in the group on the stands side (the left side from the jockeys' viewpoint). She established a clear advantage approaching the last quarter mile and stayed on well to win by a length and a quarter from Danyah.[11] After the race John Quinn said "It’s grand, isn’t it? I was up on the sharp end the whole way, this filly is a filly with a tremendous attitude, bred by her owners as well... it’s a great team effort."[12]
Seventeen days after her Royal Ascot win Highfield Princess returned to the Chelmsford Polytrack for the Listed Queen Charlotte Fillies' Stakes over seven furlongs and started the 15/8 second favourite behind Double Or Bubble in an eight-runner field. Hart sent her into the lead from the start and she repelled a sustained challenge from the favourite in the closing stages to win by a neck.[13] Quinn commented "She's a very tough genuine filly. I'm delighted with her".[14] For the remainder of her four-year-old campaign the filly ran creditably in high-class races without winning again. She finished a close third to Last Empire in the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood on 28 July and then ran second to Space Blues in the Group 2 City of York Stakes a month later. She went on to finish fourth behind Just Beautiful in the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster in September and third to With Thanks in the Group 3 October Stakes at Ascot. For he final run of the year she was dropped back in distance to six furlongs for the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot and came home sixth of the twenty runners behind Creative Force, beaten just over three lengths by the winner.[15]
2022: five-year-old season edit
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Highfield Princess returned to synthetic tracks for the spring of her five-year-old campaign. She began by finishing third in a minor race over seven furlongs at Chelmsford in February. ran fifth to Tinker Toy in the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes over the same distance at Wolverhampton on 12 March and was then dropped back to five furlongs to finish second in a minor event over five furlongs at the same track a week later. She then started 15/8 joint favourite for the All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championships Conditions Stakes over seven furlongs on Tapeta at Newcastle Racecourse and won by half a length from Internationalangel after taking the lead a furlong out.[16]
Pedigree edit
| Sire Night of Thunder (IRE) 2011 |
Dubawi (IRE) 2002 |
Dubai Millennium (GB) | Seeking The Gold (USA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Dancer (IRE) | |||
| Zomaradah (GB) | Deploy | ||
| Jawaher (IRE) | |||
| Forest Storm (GB) 2006 |
Galileo (IRE) | Sadler's Wells (USA) | |
| Urban Sea (USA) | |||
| Quiet Storm (IRE) | Desert Prince | ||
| Hertford Castle (GB) | |||
| Dam Pure Illusion (IRE) 2009 |
Danehill (USA) 1986 |
Danzig | Northern Dancer (CAN) |
| Pas de Nom | |||
| Razyana | His Majesty | ||
| Spring Adieu (CAN) | |||
| Saintly Speech (USA) 1997 |
Southern Halo | Halo | |
| Northern Sea | |||
| Eloquent Minister | Deputy Minister (CAN) | ||
| Art Talk (Family: 6-a)[5] |
References edit
- ^ a b "Highfield Princess pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ "Tattersalls - December Yearling Sale 2018, Lot 292". Tattersalls.
- ^ "Night Of Thunder Progeny". Racing Post.
- ^ "Pure Illusion - Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
- ^ a b "Cream Cheeks – Family 6-a". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- ^ "Branding Hub Handicap result". Racing Post. 29 September 2020.
- ^ "tote Placepot Your First Bet Handicap result". Racing Post. 10 September 2020.
- ^ "tote.co.uk Free Streaming Every UK Race Handicap result". Racing Post. 22 September 2020.
- ^ "chelmsfordcityracecourse.com Handicap result". Racing Post. 3 December 2020.
- ^ "Watch Irish Racing On Racing TV Fillies' Handicap result". Racing Post. 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Buckingham Palace Stakes result". Racing Post. 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Highfield Princess hands Jason Hart his first win at Royal Ascot in with Buckingham Palace Stakes success". ITV. 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Queen Charlotte Fillies' Stakes result". Racing Post. 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Highfield Princess: John Quinn likely to choose between Ascot and York after Listed Chelmsford victory". Sky Sports. 5 July 2021.
- ^ "British Champions Sprint Stakes result". Racing Post. 16 October 2021.
- ^ "All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championships Conditions Stakes result". Racing Post. 15 April 2022.
xCategory:2017 racehorse births xCategory:Racehorses bred in France xCategory:Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom xCategory:Thoroughbred family 6-a