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Height of Fashion (14 April 1979 – 29 July 2000) was a French-bred, British-trainedThoroughbred racehorse andbroodmare. Owned and bred byQueen Elizabeth II, she was undefeated in her three races as a two-year-old in 1981, winning theAcomb Stakes,May Hill Stakes andFillies' Mile. The following year she added a win in theLupe Stakes before a record-breaking victory in thePrincess of Wales's Stakes. She ran poorly in her two remaining races and was retired to stud at the end of the season. Height of Fashion proved to be an exceptional broodmare, producing the major stakes winnersUnfuwain,Nashwan andNayef. She died in Kentucky in 2000.

Height of Fashion was a "massive"^[3] bay mare bred by her ownerQueen Elizabeth II. She was one of the best horses sired byBustino, who won the 1974St Leger Stakes and the 1975Coronation Cup as well as finishing second toGrundy in a famous race for theKing George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Her damHighclere won the1000 Guineas and thePrix de Diane for the Queen in 1974 and went on to become an influential broodmare. Apart from Height of Fashion and her descendants, she was also the ancestor of the Japanese championDeep Impact.^[4]

The filly was sent into training withDick Hern atWest Ilsley inBerkshire.

Height of Fashion began her racing career in the Acomb Stakes (now aGroup Three race) atYork Racecourse. Racing againstcolts, she won from Ashenden with Count Pahlen (later to win theWilliam Hill Futurity) in third place and was ridden byLester Piggott, replacing the injuredWillie Carson. After the race, Hern described the winner as "a grand filly" who closely resembled her dam Highclere.^[3] She was then moved up to Group Three class for the May Hill Stakes atDoncaster and was ridden to victory by the veteranJoe Mercer at odds of4/6. Mercer was again the jockey when Height of Fashion ran next in the Hoover Fillies' Mile atAscot Racecourse. She started at odds of 15/8 and completed an undefeated first season by beating theWaterford Candelabra Stakes winner Stratospheric.

Height of Fashion began her second season in the Lupe Stakes atGoodwood Racecourse in May. She was hampered when Devon Air fell directly in front of her and it was only after a "monumental struggle" that she prevailed by twolengths from her stable companion Round Tower.^[5] She was considered a contender for theOaks Stakes but bypassed the race as it was felt that she would be unsuited to the course atEpsom.^[6]

The filly did not race again until July when she ran against colts and older horses in the Princess of Wales's Stakes atNewmarket Racecourse where she woreblinkers for the first time. She was made the 4/1 second favourite behindArdross, an outstanding stayer who had won the last two runnings of theAscot Gold Cup. Ridden byWillie Carson, Height of Fashion led from the start and produced a career-best performance to win by two lengths^[7] in course record time from Amyndas, with Ardross in third.

Following her win at Newmarket, Height of Fashion was sold for a reported £1.5 million to Hamdan Al Maktoum.^[8] Later in July, Height of Fashion ran in her first Group One race when she was the only filly to contest the thirty-second running of theKing George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. She never recovered^[9] after banging her head on exiting the starting stalls^[6] and finished seventh of the nine runners behindKalaglow. On her final appearance on 17 August she failed to recover her previous form as she finished last behind Awaasif inYorkshire Oaks.

Height of Fashion was retired from racing to become a broodmare for Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stud in Kentucky. Her offspring included:

• Alwasmi (USA), bay colt, foaled 1984, sired byNorthern Dancer (CAN), won G3John Porter Stakes Newbury
• Unfuwain (USA), bay colt, 1985, by Northern Dancer (CAN), won G2Princess of Wales's Stakes, Newmarket; G3 John Porter Stakes, Newbury; G3Chester Vase, Chester; G2Jockey Club Stakes, Newmarket; 2nd G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot;
• Nashwan (USA), chestnut colt, foaled 1 March 1986, byBlushing Groom (FR), won G12000 Guineas, Newmarket; G1Epsom Derby, Epsom; G1Eclipse Stakes, Sandown; G1King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot;
• Mukddaam (USA), bay colt, foaled 20 March 1987, byDanzig (USA), won 3 races, including LR Fred Archer Stakes, Newmarket; 2nd G2King Edward VII Stakes, Royal Ascot; G2 Princess of Wales's Stakes, Newmarket;
• Manwah (USA), chestnut filly, foaled 1 May 1988, byLyphard (USA) - placed 4 times from 5 starts in England 1991
• Bashayer (USA), brown filly, foaled 30 January 1990, byMr Prospector (USA), won 2 races and placed 6 times including 2nd LR Cheshire Oaks from 12 starts in England 1992-93.Fourth dam of full-brothersHukum andBaaeed.
• Wijdan (USA), chestnut filly, foaled 4 April 1991, by Mr Prospector (USA), won 2 races and placed 3 times from 5 races in England 1993-94
• Deyajeer (USA), bay filly, 1992, byDayjur (USA) - unraced
• Sarayir (USA), bay filly, foaled 7 April 1994, by Mr Prospector (USA), won 3 races including LROh So Sharp Stakes, Newmarket and placed twice from 8 starts in Britain 1996-7; dam ofGhanaati (USA), won G1 1000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket; G1 Coronation Stakes, Royal Ascot
• Burhan (USA), brown colt, foaled 6 April 1995, byRiverman (USA) - unraced
• Nayef (USA), bay colt, foaled 1 May 1998, byGulch (USA), won 9 races including G1Champion Stakes, Newmarket; G1International Stakes, York; G1Dubai Sheema Classic, Nad Al Sheba; G1Prince of Wales's Stakes, Royal Ascot; G3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes, Haydock; G3 Select Stakes, Goodwood; G3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes, Ascot; LR Autumn Stakes, Ascot; placed 7 times including 2nd G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot; 2nd G1 Eclipse Stakes, Sandown, from 20 starts in England, Ireland and Dubai 2000-2003

Height of Fashion was in foal to A P Indy when she died at Shadwell's Kentucky base on 29 July 2000.^[2]

• 1979 racehorse births
• 2000 racehorse deaths
• Racehorses bred in France
• Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
• Thoroughbred family 2-f

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