Five for fun: the finest broodmares to have won the Yorkshire Oaks

All eyes will be on one horse at York on Thursday as Enable takes her latest step towards Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe immortality in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

Although this race has been an occasion for some fillies to confirm their magnificence on the track, including Diminuendo, User Friendly and Peeping Fawn, for others it has marked something of a halfway point before they continued their legacies from the paddocks.

Enable has far bigger matters at hand, even if there will hopefully be enormous anticipation in a few years once the wondermare has rejoined the Juddmonte fold and has offspring ready for action.

Here we recall five Yorkshire Oaks winners who also proved fine producers.

Lupe (1970)

Beaten only once in seven starts, the product of the Joel family’s Snailwell Stud was speedier than her pedigree would have suggested. She had already been an impressive winner of the Oaks at Epsom and turned on the style again at York in beating the useful Highest Hopes.

Lupe went on to win the Coronation Cup and Prince of Wales’s Stakes the following year. Although she was based in America for a time, she had a number of runners in France, most notably her daughter Louveterie, who won the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux for Andre Fabre and finished a narrow runner-up in the French Oaks.

Louveterie had an influence in the Wildenstein family’s breeding which continued until their dispersal, with her sons including the Group 1 winners-turned-stallions Loup Sauvage and Loup Solitaire. Another of Lupe’s daughters, Louve Romaine, was third in the Prix Saint-Alary and French Oaks for the same connections, while Lascaux won a Group 2. Lupe used to be remembered by a Classic trial at Goodwood, which is now known as the Height of Fashion Stakes.

Hellenic (1990)

A cornerstone of a great Ballymacoll Stud dynasty which includes Classic winners North Light and Golan, Hellenic was unbeaten in two starts at York, breaking her duck in a maiden at the Dante meeting before coming six lengths clear in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot.

Hellenic's daughter Islington (right) during her second Yorkshire Oaks win in 2003Credit: Edward Whitaker

She looked in trouble at the rear of the field half a mile from home back at the Knavesmire but eventually responded to Willie Carson’s increased urgings to best Sir Michael Stoute stablemate Kartajana by a length and a half.

Hellenic was a gallant second to Snurge in the St Leger and became an outstanding broodmare, with her daughter Islington landing the Yorkshire Oaks twice, Mountain High and Greek Dance collecting Group 1s, and New Morning the Brigadier Gerard.

Alexandrova (2006)

Coolmore’s stylish filly was close to invincible in the summer of 2006, with a three-and-a-half-length triumph in the Yorkshire Oaks coming on the back of impressive efforts in the English and Irish equivalents. This was, in fact, her penultimate start and Alexandrova was retired from Aidan O’Brien’s care after a luckless third in the Prix de l’Opera.

From an outstanding family developed by Luca Cumani’s Fittocks Stud, Alexandrova is by Sadler’s Wells and has been covered by a variety of stallions. Her Dalakhani colt Alex My Boy won the Prix Kergorlay after a transfer to Germany while Somehow (Fastnet Rock) won the 2017 Dahlia Stakes for O’Brien and looked on the verge of making a Group 1 impact before her premature death.

Alexandrova was moved to America in 2013 and the result of a meeting with War Front was Happen, winner of this year’s Athasi Stakes and a recent runner-up for O’Brien to the classy Concrete Rose in the Saratoga Oaks. Since her return to Europe and move from under the Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt banner to Coolmore, Alexandrova has provided a yearling colt by Mastercraftsman and was subsequently covered by No Nay Never.

Dar Re Mi (2009)

There are few more currently talked-about broodmares than Da Re Mi, whose contribution to the Lloyd-Webbers’ Watership Down Stud has been priceless.

Second the previous year, when the Yorkshire Oaks was moved to Newmarket, John Gosden’s filly had reached the peak of her powers by 2009 and turned over the red-hot favourite and dual Oaks winner Sariska before performing honourably in the Arc and Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Dar Re Mi’s progeny already include three exceptional performers in Sussex Stakes winner and star juvenile Too Darn Hot, Musidora scorer So Mi Dar and Leger runner-up Lah Ti Dar, who has the formidable task of taking on Enable this week. Too Darn Hot’s Dubawi brother, named Darain, sold for an astonishing 3,500,000gns to David Redvers at Tattersalls Book 1 last year.

Midday (2010)

Bred to be very smart, being out of a mare (Midsummer) who was a sibling of Reams Of Verse and Elmaamul, Midday developed into one of the most durable fillies of recent times who is best known for landing the Nassau Stakes on an unprecedented three occasions.

Midday was one of the most accomplished fillies trained by Sir Henry CecilCredit: Edward Whitaker

In the Yorkshire Oaks, she took the considerable scalp of a three-year-old Snow Fairy by three lengths, going on to win the Prix Vermeille and losing her Breeders’ Cup crown in agonising fashion.

Midday is still active among the Juddmonte band and although throwing nothing quite of her level, son Midterm won the Sandown Classic Trial and a Group 3 in Australia and Mori was beaten only a neck by the top-class Coronet in the 2017 Ribblesdale. Her two-year-old Galileo daughter, Meridiana, will be keenly awaited.

If you enjoyed this, you may be interested in reading...

Plans for Coronet

Dame Malliot dazzles