DUNFERMLINE ~ Royal Jubilee Classic Winner
(1974 Royal Palace - Strathcona)
OWNER - HM The Queen
TRAINER - W Hern
JOCKEY - Willie Carson
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS - 1977 Oaks, St Leger
The Queen is a fine judge of horse flesh and finds the attraction of breeding and following the progress of her own stock on the Flat greater than National Hunt racing which she entered briefly in partnership with her mother during the 1949/50 season with Monaveen.
Dunfermline was a bright bay filly by the 1967 Derby winner Royal Palace out of the Queen's own mare Strathcona (by St Paddy the 1960 St. Leger winner), which she also bred out of a mare she selected herself, Stroma.
Dunfermline, quite tall with powerful hindquarters was as lean as a greyhound when fit; she was a beautiful mover and, an invaluable quality in a racehorse, always tried her best.
Dunfermline made it a Royal Jubilee to remember by winning two Classics, the Oaks and the St. Leger. There were those who judged the Oaks victory as lucky, following the late withdrawal of the hot favourite Durtal, but she underlined her ability by beating the colts in the Leger.
Oaks day was full of drama. First, the ebullient royal jockey Willie Carson was involved in a car crash en route to Epsom. Luckily he was unhurt, but nevertheless he missed the first race and royal trainer Major Dick Hem had jockey Joe Mercer standing by. Willie Carson made it in time, and, with prospects hopeful rather than high, nerves were not too taut. The filly, too, remained cool as she paraded in front of the Queen Mother and the crowd, the Queen being unable to be present. There were 14 runners including the 1,000 Guineas winner and runner-up, Mrs McArdy and Freeze the Secret, and as they paraded in the June warmth, and prepared to canter to the start, Dunfermline sweated a little, but still seemed quite relaxed.
Suddenly it became apparent that it was the the favourite, Durtal, who was tense, and that her jockey Lester Piggott was being 'carted'. A few strides later, she bumped into the rails, smashing a stirrup iron; this left Lester Piggott in real trouble, for without the iron, he could not use the strength in his legs to try and control her.
The filly panicked and headed straight for a solid rail; there was no way round it and, as she half tried to jump it, Lester was thrown, but his other foot was caught in the remaining stirrup iron. This is any rider's nightmare, for they can then be dragged, which in turn frightens the horse even more. . .
Mercifully his foot became free, and the filly galloped off, leaving Lester looking very shaken, but amazingly not seriously hurt. It had been a narrow squeak.
The start, of course, was delayed while Durtal was caught and withdrawn; inevitably, many felt that this affected the result, but Willie Carson himself always felt that the favourite's stamina was suspect and could have been tested.
Dunfermline started well up the hill, and was lying in about fifth, but as the field began the first left hand turn many of the runners on the outside came across, pushing her back to about tenth, and too close to the rail for comfort.
Willie had just started to make progress on her again when she received a hefty bump from another runner, and they lost the ground they had gained. Recovering from this set-back, Willie tried to get through on the inside of another filly, but her jockey switched her to block off the attempt.
Willie was now beginning to look in trouble. They were at the half way stage, and were lying last but two and getting nowhere fast! There was only one thing for it, if they were to have any chance, and that was to pull out to the outside and go for home the long way round.
Willie moved out, gave Dunfermline a couple of slaps, and her response was immediate. In Willie's words, 'she took off like a rocket!'
They passed half a dozen horses and running downhill into Tattenham Corner they were flying. She negotiated the famous Corner so well that suddenly they were in the race with a chance.
Vaguely Deb, who made most of the running, was still in front but tiring, followed by Freeze the Secret, and now there was just the straight left. Vaguely Deb dropped back and, with a furlong and a half left to run, Dunfermline drew alongside Freeze the Secret. But then Dunfermline began to hang left and it was vital to stop her bumping the other filly; somehow Willie had to keep her straight.
He went half a length up on her, but did not dare push Dunfermline right out, in case she crossed her rival's path. They passed the post three-quarters of a length in front and the enthusiastic crowds' cheers rang out across the Downs, the men throwing their hats into the air to salute the royal victory.
When Dunfermline lined up for the St. Leger in September, there was again an odds-on favourite in the unbeaten Alleged from Vincent O'Brien's Co Tipperary stable, and this time there was no pre-race drama.
In fact, it looked as if Alleged was going' to run out an all the way winner, but that was without reckoning on the courage and determination that Dunfermline had already shown herself to possess in previous races. A pacemaker had been put in the race for her, but it also suited Lester Piggott on Alleged. He ran in second until taking over as the field turned into the straight, and of the rest, only Dunfermline came after him.
Soon they were well clear battling a great duel - and it was the filly who got the better of it. She passed the post a length to the good, survived a Stewards' Enquiry into possible interference - and gave the Queen a richly deserved second Classic win in her Jubilee year.
It was the Queen's first win in the St. Leger, and Dunfermline was the first filly to win it for eighteen years, in a time only marginally outside the record.