Ever since the very first Breeders’ Cup Distaff won by Princess Rooney 42 years ago at Hollywood Park, the prestigious race for fillies and mares has continued to produce high-quality winners. Racing’s Hall of Fame has opened its doors to a dozen winners of the race, several of whom found the winner’s circle more than once at the World Championships.
Approaching its 43rd running on Oct. 31, the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is well-established as one of Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious contests, often the deciding factor in determining Horse of the Year.
Breeder Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm features two high-powered producers, mares whose progeny have left their mark on the sport’s history in their own ways. Littleprincessemma, purchased by Lyon when her Pioneerof the Nile colt was 2, was part of an elite sorority that boasted, at the time, only two members. That Pioneerof the Nile colt, named American Pharoah, won the Triple Crown in 2015.
