In celebration of Mother’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the remarkable mares whose legacy has shaped the course of our thoroughbred racing history.

Eight Carat (GB)

Pieces of Eight x Klairessa

Foaled: 1975

Notable Progeny: Octagonal, Mouawad, Kaapstad, Diamond Lover, Marquise

Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (1995, 1996, 1997), International Broodmare of the Year (1996), Inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame (2012).

Eight Carat is widely regarded as one of the most influential broodmares in Australasian breeding history. Despite a modest racing career, she excelled as a broodmare, producing five individual Gr.1 winners. Her best-known son is Octagonal, the Australian Horse of the Year and winner of ten Gr.1 races. Octagonal became an outstanding sire himself, most notably through his son Lonhro, who continued the dynasty. Her legacy extends through her daughters, particularly Diamond Lover who not only succeeded on the track but also became a Group One-producing broodmare in her own right. Another daughter, Cotehele House, made her mark as the dam of Danewin and Commands, both of whom achieved success on the racetrack and at stud. Through these and many more descendants, Eight Carat built a maternal dynasty that continues to shape the Australasian breeding landscape to this day.

Songline (NZ)

Western Symphony x McAngus

Foaled: 1987

Notable Progeny : Sunline

Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2000, 2001, 2002)

Songline was a New Zealand-bred mare whose place in racing history was secured not through her own deeds on the track, but through the legendary achievements of her daughter, Sunline, one of the greatest mares the Southern Hemisphere has ever produced. Sunline rewrote the record books with 13 Gr.1 wins across New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong, including two Cox Plates, two Doncaster Handicaps, and a resounding Hong Kong Mile victory. Her success earnt Songline three New Zealand Broodmare of the Year titles, and while her broader broodmare legacy did not extend beyond Sunline in the same prolific way as mares like Eight Carat, her place in the pantheon of New Zealand broodmares is firmly established.

Flying Floozie (NZ)

Pompeii Court x Lucky Heiress

Foaled: 1990

Notable Progeny: Starcraft

Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2004, 2005, 2006)

Flying Floozie’s reputation as a broodmare was secured through her champion son Starcraft, who captured five Gr.1 races across four countries - including the Australian Derby, Mudway Stakes (Tarzino Trophy), Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Newmarket. Though Flying Floozie had a modest racing career herself, she proved to be a broodmare of rare quality, and her influence extended beyond just one champion, she also produced Forum Floozie, a Group-placed mare who produced Gr.1 winner Tiptronic. While Starcraft had a successful career as a stallion on both sides of the hemisphere, most notably as the sire of Star Witness and We Can Say It Now. Flying Floozie joined the elite ranks of Eight Carat and Songline as one of only three mares to be honoured with the title of New Zealand Broodmare of the Year on three occasions.

Triassic (NZ)

Tights x Astral Row
Foaled: 1995
Notable Progeny: So You Think
Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2011, 2012)

Triassic gained international recognition as the dam of So You Think, one of the most dominant middle-distance racehorses of the modern era. Trained initially in New Zealand and later by Aidan O’Brien in Ireland, So You Think won 10 Gr.1 races, including two Cox Plates and prestigious titles in Europe like the Irish Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes. With her son’s global campaign elevating her reputation to elite broodmare status, her legacy continues through the progeny of So You Think as sire of multiple Gr.1 winning offspring like Think It Over, Nakeeta Jane, and Quick Thinker, among others.

Sayyida (NZ)

Zabeel x Eastern Princess
Foaled: 1999
Notable Progeny: Ocean Park
Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2013)

Although her broodmare career was short lived, Sayyida earned her place amongst New Zealand’s top broodmares as the dam of Ocean Park, the 2012 Cox Plate winner and multiple Gr.1 champion. His performances earned him the title of New Zealand Horse of the Year, and he would go on to become a successful stallion in his own right at Waikato Stud, siring elite performers such as Tofane, Kolding, Ocean Billy, and Another Dollar. Though not a prolific producer in terms of numbers, her impact through Ocean Park has been profound, placing her among the modern matriarchs of New Zealand breeding.

Bagalollies (AUS)

Zabeel x Lady’s Delight
Foaled: 2002
Notable Progeny: Werther, Toffee Tongue, Gobstopper
Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2016, 2018)

Bagalollies has earned her place among New Zealand’s elite broodmares through the remarkable achievements of her progeny, most notably when crossed with Tavistock. A daughter of champion sire Zabeel, Bagalollies is best known as the dam of Werther, a Hong Kong Horse of the Year and Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner. Her influence extends further through Toffee Tongue, winner of the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks, and Gobstopper, a New Zealand Cup victor. All of which were by the late stallion Tavistock.

Opulence (NZ)

Danroad x Mulan Magic

Foaled: 2006

Notable Progeny: Verry Elleegant

Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2021, 2022)

Opulence rose to fame as the dam of Verry Elleegant, one of the most versatile and decorated mares of the modern era. Verry Elleegant won 11 Gr.1 races, including the 2021 Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, and multiple WFA championships across Australia and New Zealand. Opulence’s influence as a broodmare has been defined by the brilliance of her daughter, whose adaptability from 1400m to 3200m captured attention worldwide. Her achievements earned Opulence back-to-back New Zealand Broodmare of the Year titles.

Baggy Green (AUS)

Galileo x Starspangled
Foaled: 2006
Notable Progeny: Tofane, No Compromise, Benaud
Honours: New Zealand Broodmare of the Year (2022, 2023)

Baggy Green has emerged as a standout broodmare thanks to the Gr.1 success of her progeny across Australasia. She is the dam of Tofane, a four-time Gr.1 winner known for her toughness and sprinting brilliance, as well as No Compromise, who captured the Gr.1 Metropolitan Handicap. Another of her sons, Benaud, was a runner-up in the ATC Derby, adding depth to her influence as a producer of elite performers. With a pedigree rooted in blue-blood European and Australasian lines, Baggy Green has earned consecutive New Zealand Broodmare of the Year titles in 2022 and 2023, recognising her growing legacy within the Southern Hemisphere breeding ranks.