| Dunfermline | |
|---|---|
 Racing silks of Queen Elizabeth II | |
| Sire | Royal Palace |
| Grandsire | Ballymoss |
| Dam | Strathcona |
| Damsire | St. Paddy |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 15 April 1974 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Owner | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Trainer | Dick Hern |
| Record | 12:3-3-3[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Epsom Oaks (1977) St. Leger Stakes (1977) | |
| Honours | |
| Timeform Top-rated Three-year-old filly (1977)[2] Timeform rating: 133 | |
| Last updated on 25 August 2023 | |
| ||
|---|---|---|
Personal Reign | ||
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Dunfermline (1974–1989) was a BritishThoroughbred racehorse andbroodmare. In a career which lasted from July 1976 until August 1978, she ran twelve times and won three races. In 1977, the year of her ownerQueen Elizabeth II'sSilver Jubilee, she won two of the fiveBritish Classic Races. Dunfermline wonthe Oaks against other fillies in June and, in September, addedthe St Leger, beating doublePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe winnerAlleged – the only time Alleged was ever beaten. She raced without winning in 1978 before being retired to stud.
Dunfermline, a "rangy" bay filly with a whitestar,[3] was bred by her owner Queen Elizabeth II. She was sired by the 1967Derby winnerRoyal Palace who had previously had a disappointing record at stud. Her dam, Strathcona won one race and was sold by the Queen in 1976, the year before Dunfermline's greatest success: she was a half-sister to the Eclipse winnerCanisbay. Dunfermline was sent into training withMajor Dick Hern atWest Ilsley inBerkshire. She was ridden in all of her races by Hern's stable jockeys:Joe Mercer as a two-year-old andWillie Carson thereafter.
Dunfermline ran three times as a two-year-old in 1976. She failed to win but was placed in all of her starts. She finished second to Triple First in theMay Hill Stakes atDoncaster and second again behind Miss Pinkie in theArgos Star Fillies Mile atAscot.[4]
On her three-year-old debut, Dunfermline was sent toNewmarket in April to contest the Pretty Polly Stakes. She recorded her first win by beating Olwyn by four lengths in the ten furlong race. The form of Dunfermline's victory was boosted when Olwyn won theIrish 1000 Guineas in May.[4]
In the Oaks, Dunfermline started at odds of6/1 in a field of thirteen fillies. Her task was made easier when Durtal theCheveley Park Stakes winner was withdrawn after sustaining an injury when going to the start.[5] Dunfermline stayed on strongly in the closing stages to win by three quarters of a length from Freeze The Secret.[3] Dunfermline reappeared in August in theYorkshire Oaks. She appeared to be unsuited by the slow pace and finished third behind the Peter Walwyn trained filly Busaca.[4]
In the St Leger at Doncaster, Dunfermline started at odds of 10/1 in a field of thirteen, with the Irish-trained colt Alleged being made odds-on favourite. Hern also entered a colt called Gregarious who acted as apacemaker and led until half a mile from the finish. Alleged, ridden byLester Piggott, took the lead but was soon challenged by Carson on Dunfermline. The colt and the filly pulled clear of the field in the final quarter mile with Dunfermline getting the better of a prolonged struggle to beat Alleged by one and half lengths.[6] In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe atLongchamp in October, Dunfermline finished fourth behind Alleged.[7] Later that month, she finished third behind Rex Magna andTrillion in thePrix Royal-Oak.[4]
Dunfermline stayed in training as a four-year-old but failed to win in three starts. Her best performance came when she finished second to Montcontour in theHardwicke Stakes atRoyal Ascot
Timeform gave Dunfermline a rating of 133 in 1977, making her the top-rated three-year-old filly in Europe. The rating was the third highest given to a three-year-old filly up to that time behindCoronation (135 in 1949) andPetite Etoile (134 in 1959).[4]
In their bookA Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Dunfermline a "great" Oaks winner and the eleventh best filly trained in Britain and Ireland in the 20th century.[1]
Dunfermline was retired to stud, but made no impact as a broodmare. She died in 1989.[1]
| Sire Royal Palace (GB) 1964 | Ballymoss (GB) 1954 | Mossborough | Nearco |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Moonshine | |||
| Indian Call | Singapore | ||
| Flittermere | |||
| Crystal Palace (GB) 1956 | Solar Slipper | Windsor Slipper | |
| Solar Flower | |||
| Queen of Light | Borealis | ||
| Picture Play | |||
| Dam Strathcona (GB) 1967 | St. Paddy (GB) 1957 | Aureole | Hyperion |
| Angelola | |||
| Edie Kelly | Bois Roussel | ||
| Caerlissa | |||
| Stroma (GB) 1955 | Luminary | Fair Trial | |
| Luciebella | |||
| Whoa Emma | Prince Chevalier | ||
| Ready (Family:12-d)[9] |
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