Leilani was a champion Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racemare that was bred in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and raced in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. She won six Group One

Group One

Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...

 races and a total of 12 black type equivalent races, during her short racing career. At the time of her retirement she held the Australasian earnings record for a mare.

Pedigree

Leilani was by the outstanding racehorse and sire Oncidium, her dam was the very good racemare, Lei by Summertime. Lei won 16 races and was the dam of four foals, and the three which raced were by Oncidium, making them full siblings to Leilani. These three horses were all winners, with Ready O'Ready becoming a stakes winner.

Racing record

During her racing career Leilani was part owned by prominent Australian politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 Andrew Peacock

Andrew Peacock

Andrew Sharp Peacock AC, GCL , is a former Australian Liberal politician. He was a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments, and was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia 1983–1985 and 1989–1990...

.

At three years: 1973-74

Her principal race wins included:

• 1974 AJC Oaks
  AJC Oaks
  The AJC Oaks is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horserace for three-year-old fillies at set weights contested over 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April. The AJC Australian Oaks is the premier staying race for three-year-old fillies during the Sydney autumn racing carnival. Total...
  
   over 2,400 metres
• 1974 AJC Princess Handicap, 2,000 metres

At four years: 1974-75

In 1974 Leilani started as the favourite horse and finished second in the Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...

.
Her principal race wins included:

• 1974 VATC Caulfield Cup
  Caulfield Cup
  The Caulfield Cup, one of Australia's richest Thoroughbred horse races and the richest of its type in the world is held annually by the Melbourne Racing Club. The race is a handicap like the Melbourne Cup, which means that horses that compete in the Caulfield Cup are capable of running on the...
  
  , 2,400 metres
• 1974 VATC Toorak Handicap
  Toorak Handicap
  The Toorak Handicap is a 1600 metre Australian open handicap race for Thoroughbred horses aged three-years-old and upwards run at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. The race takes place in early October as part of the Spring Racing Carnival in conjunction with the Caulfield Cup...
  
  , 1,600 metres
• 1974 VRC LKS Mackinnon Stakes
  LKS MacKinnon Stakes
  From 1869 to 1936 the LKS Mackinnon Stakes was known as the Melbourne Stakes.The LKS Mackinnon Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 2000 metre Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on the Saturday before...
  
  , 2,000 metres
• 1974 VRC Queen's Cup, 2,500 metres
• 1974 VRC Turnbull Stakes
  Turnbull Stakes
  The Turnbull Stakes is a 2000 metre Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, run under set weights with penalties conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in October. Total prize money is A$502,000. It is one of the important races of the Spring Racing Carnival along...
  
  , 2,000 metres
• 1975 VATC C F Orr Stakes
  C F Orr Stakes
  The C F Orr Stakes is a Group 1 Australian thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne in February. Prizemoney in 2010 is A$400,000...
  
  , 1,400 metres
• 1975 VATC St George Stakes
  St George Stakes
  The St George Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged two years old and upwards, over a distance of 1800 metres. It is held at Caulfield racecourse in Melbourne every February. Total prize money is A$200,000.-Distance:1900 -...
  
  , 1,800 metres
• 1975 VRC Australian Cup
  Australian Cup
  The Australian Cup is a Group 1 Weight for Age race for Thoroughbred racehorses run over 2000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in March...
  
  , over 2,000 metres carrying 58.5 kilograms.
• 1975 VRC Queens Plate, 2,000 metres

At five years: 1975-76

Leilani was injured as a five-year-old and only had six starts for a win in the 1976 VATC St George Stakes over 1,800 metres at Weight for Age

Weight for Age

Weight for Age is a term in Thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. It means that a horse will carry a set weight in accordance with the Weight for Age Scale. This weight varies depending on the horse’s age, its sex, the race distance and the month of the year...

(WFA) conditions.

She was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame as the 1975 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year.

Stud record

Leilani produced three named foals in Australia and New Zealand; however none of them won a stakes race.

• 1988 filly Skylarking (foaled in Australia) by Twig Moss (foaled in France) produced one stakeswinner.
• 1979 filly Paulownia (foaled in New Zealand) by In The Purple.
• 1978 stallion Silver Lei (foaled in NZ) by Silver Dream, stood at stud, but has not sired any stakeswinners.

Leilani died on 2 May 1990.

Leilani is Hawaiian for Heavenly Flower/Child