Miss Darcey

Picture by Craig Greenhill

Darcey Bussell is regarded as one of the world's greatest ballerinas and former principal of London's Royal Ballet. Darcey retired two years ago and moved to Sydney to raise her young family and is now the director of the Sydney Dance Company.

She has had nothing to do with horse racing previously but agreed to an unusual request by racehorse owner Graeme Phillips to allow him to name his horse " Miss Darcey" after the amazing ballerina.

Following on from the naming of Miss Darcey, Julie Sampson, a part-owner of Miss Darcey, has called a filly Red Pointes after Darcey Bussell's famous ballet shoes.