WHEN I realised that the champion European juvenile of 1981 was Green Desert (Danzig), and we all know what an influence he has been as a sire, I took to wondering what the best fillies of that year also achieved in the intervening 40 years. Did they go on to greater success and how did they fare at stud?

While Inspiral and Tenebrism shared the title of best juvenile fillies last year, there was a three-way tie for the same accolade in 1981. The trio of fillies were Height Of Fashion, Circus Ring and Play It Safe, and such was the pattern system at the time that just the latter won at Group 1 level that year, Diana Firestone’s homebred filly taking the Prix Marcel Boussac with Lester Piggott in the saddle.

Queen Elizabeth’s Height Of Fashion (Bustino) went unbeaten through the year, making her debut in the Listed Acomb Maiden Stakes (yes, a race for maidens with listed status), adding the Group 3 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, and rounding off with victory in the Group 3 (now Group 1) Fillies’ Mile. She raced four more times and added the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes and Listed Lupe Stakes to her tally.

A daughter of her owner-breeder’s dual classic winner Highclere (Queen’s Hussar), Height Of Fashion went on to become an outstanding broodmare. Her first foal was the Group 3 winner Alwasmi (Northern Dancer), while he was followed by Unfuwain (Northern Dancer) who went one better and became a Group 2 winner. The jackpot was hit with her third offspring.

This was Nashwan (Blushing Groom), a clear champion at three for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and winner that season the Group 1 2000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. A fourth stakes winner with her first four foals, thanks to Mukddaam (Danzig) established Height Of Fashion as one of the best broodmares in the world.

It was to be a few years before she had her next stakes winner Sarayir (Mr Prospector), and her talents on the racecourse were overshadowed by her achievements at stud, her three blacktype winning offspring being headed by Ghanaati (Giant’s Causeway), winner 13 years ago of the classic 1000 Guineas and the Group 1 Coronation Stakes.

Five stakes winners is some achievement, and Height Of Fashion had already earned her place in the pantheon of great mares. However, there was be a final hurrah and with her final foal, born at the age of 19 years, she got a well-deserved second Group 1 winner, and he even matched Nashwan’s achievement of winning four times at the highest level. Nayef (Gulch) won the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes in England, and the Sheema Classic in Dubai.

Hugely impressive

Circus Ring (High Top) was another who went through her juvenile career unbeaten in three starts, and she was hugely impressive when landing both the Listed Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot and taking the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York on the bridle. Sadly, she only faced the starter once at three.

She never scaled the heights reached by the Queen’s joint-champion juvenile filly, but Circus Ring did breed seven winners, two of her daughters, Lady Shipley (Shirley Heights) and Ellie Ardensky (Slip Anchor), winning listed races. She is the grandam of a champion filly in Australia, Serenade Rose (Stravinsky) including in her eight wins three victories each in Group 1 and Group 2 races.

While Height Of Fashion is best known for the exploits of her sons as stallions also, Circus Ring’s daughters and descendants have given us the likes of Hong Kong champion Viva Pataca (Marju), Laughing (Dansili) in the USA, dual Italian Group 1 winner Voila Ici (Daylami), and two-time Australian Group 1 winner Trekking (Street Cry).

Play It Safe

Finally, Play It Safe was a filly who was special to the Firestones as they had also raced her sire Red Alert (Red God), and she was born two years after her half-brother Providential (Run The Gantlet). A Group 2 winner in France, he was placed in the French Derby but he gained a Grade 1 success when he annexed the Washington DC International.

As a racemare Play It Safe added a few more stakes wins, but she had a perfect record at stud, her six foals all making it to the races and all being successful. That said, her daughter Vanities (Nureyev) was a minor stakes winner at Louisiana Downs, while her son Safety Catch (Alleged) was group-placed at two in Ireland and went on to win 15 times in the USA, never at stakes level.