Cawston's Pride

As a two-year-old, Cawston's Pride ran eight times, with all of her races being over the minimum distance of five furlongs. In the spring of 1970 she won the St Anne's Stakes,[4] the Cucumber Stakes and the George Lambton Stakes before being moved up in class for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. Ridden as in all her major races by Brian Taylor, she started at odds of 2/1[5] and won by six lengths from Areola. In July she won the Star Fillies' Stakes and the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse, starting at odds of 1/5 in the latter race.[5]

By August few owners were willing to test their fillies against Cawston's Pride,[6] and she won the Lowther Stakes at York Racecourse at odds of 8/100[5] against a single opponent. In October, she was matched against colts in the Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot Racecourse. She started 4/5 favourite[5] and won from Mummy's Pet, a colt who had won the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and finished second to Brigadier Gerard in the Middle Park Stakes.

On her three-year-old debut, Cawston's Pride was moved up in distance for the Ascot 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes, the first Group race run in Britain or Ireland under the newly inaugurated Pattern race system.[7] She won the race from the future Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Favoletta with Super Honey in third place. Cawston's Pride started 6/4 favourite for the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket Racecourse at the end of April. Her behaviour delayed the race as she refused to go to the start and eventually had to be led down by a Welsh cob pony ridden by Jimmy Lindley. In the race she started well and looked a likely winner, but she began to swish her tail and refused to go through with her run, finishing fifth of the ten runners behind Altesse Royale, who won from Super Honey.[1]

Cawston's Pride was then brought back to sprint distances for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Her temperament again came to the fore as she refused to start in the race won by Amber Rama.[1]