Creme Fraiche was sired by Rich Cream, co-holder of the world record of 1:19.40 for 7 furlongs on dirt in the 1980 Triple Bend Handicap.
His dam Likely Exchange was a female-line descendant of Strange Device, a half-sister to the Kentucky Oaks winner Mars Shield.
[2] Bred by Pamela Firman and her nephew, G. Watts Humphrey, Jr., Creme Fraiche was originally sent as a yearling colt to the 1983 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale, where he was sold to Brushwood Stable for $160,000.
As a four-year-old, Creme Fraiche won the Jockey Club Gold Cup, defeating Turkoman, and ended the year with almost $1 million in additional earnings.
He was visited by fans bringing his favorite treat of mints until he was put down due to a severe case of laminitis on October 9, 2003, at the age of 21.