The Fugue was a racing mare that was born and bred in England under the eye of owner and veteran racing investor Andrew Lloyd Webber. She did not come from particularly rich stock, but some of those before her in the genealogy had managed some middle distance running feats. The young filly was hauled over to John Gosden’s turf for training.
Career
The Fugue had her maiden chance to shine in 2011, appearing as a two-year-old at a race in Newmarket. She was little known at the time and the bookies gave her very little exposure. Despite these challenges, she went on to win that race at the end.
2012 ushered new challenges, and the pressure was racked up in order to help the horse get used to the gig. She finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas. Two weeks later, she was ready to be in among the winners and notched the Musidora Stakes trophy. The rest of the year posed its bag of challenges for the mare, and she would struggle to find her footing, with her minders constantly tinkering with her distances and categories. She finished her year in California at the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, where she finished third.
The rest of her career featured moderate successes and decent performances. Her retirement was announced in 2014 and is believed to have been as a result of injury concerns. Her major career victories included the Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Champion Stakes, Nassau stakes and Prince of Wales’ Stakes.
The Fugue had taken part in 17 competitions, managing to win 6 of those. Even though her career was riddled with challenges such as injuries, she did become one of the more recognisable mares in England and Europe. She took part in high profile races, which is how she managed to make her owners a cool £1,934,560 and a lot more when she retired.