Two-Time Champion Ouija Board Dies at 21
Ouija Board , a two-time champion grass mare in North America, died Nov. 29 in England at 21, according to a report in Thoroughbred Daily News.
Sired by Cape Cross and out of Selection Board , by Welsh Pageant, Ouija Board was the winner of 10 races, nine of them stakes, and earned $6,312,552. She won the 2006 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) and the 2004 VO5 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She finished second in the 2005 edition of the race.
In addition to two Eclipse Awards, Ouija Board was named 2004 European Champion 3-year-old filly, European Horse of the Year in 2004 and 2006, and 2006 European Champion Older Horse.
Lord Derby, who owned and bred Ouija Board via the Stanley Estate and Stud, told TDN: “In our wildest dreams, we never imagined we could breed a horse that would be a global record-breaker and inspire so many people with so many happy memories. She was simply the best and always had the most wonderful temperament. She loved a hug and a polo mint every time we walked around the stud. We were so lucky to have her in our lives as she brought us so much joy. The fun and the pleasure that she gave us in a four-year journey around the globe will give us happy memories forever.”
Trained by Ed Dunlop, Ouija Board compiled a 10-3-5 record from 22 starts. In addition to her Breeders’ Cup successes, she captured several other group 1s. At 3, she won the 2004 Darley Irish Oaks (G1) and the 2004 Vodafone Epsom Oaks (G1), capping that year with her first win in the Breeders’ Cup. The next year, at 5, she won the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase (G1). In her final year of racing, Ouija Board won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) and Vodafone Nassau Stakes (G1) before adding another Breeders’ Cup title to her resume.
Lord Derby’s brother Peter Stanley, who is also Stud manager, told TDN: “It has been a privilege to be associated with such an extraordinary and remarkable filly. Even in one’s wildest dreams one dare not dream of a filly such as Ouija Board.”
The mare had five foals, all of whom were winners. The most successful is Australia , by Galileo. Australia, a multiple group 1 winner, was 5-2-1 in eight starts for trainer Aidan O’Brien, earning $3,456,504. In 2014, he won the Investec Derby (G1), Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1), Juddmonte International Stakes (G1), and the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1). Like his mare, Australia was bred by Stanley Estate and Stud. He stands at Coolmore in Ireland for €35,000.
She also produced Aegaeus, by Monsun; Filia Regina, by Galileo; Frontiersman , by Dubawi ; and Voodoo Prince , by Kingmambo. Filia Regina, Ouija Board’s only daughter, is a broodmare at Stanley Estate and Stud.