She showed promise in her first two races as a two-year-old before establishing herself as one of the best fillies of her generation with an emphatic win in the Waterford Candelabra Stakes.
She won the 1000 Guineas by leading all the way and was considered highly likely to follow up with a win in the Epsom Oaks but was retired after a disappointing defeat in the Musidora Stakes.
An outbreak of metritis in Britain in 1977 saw many leading stallions operating at drastically reduced fertility and Fairy Footsteps was one of only nine foals sired by Mill Reef born in 1978.
Fairy Footsteps' dam Glass Slipper was a half-sister of the Derby winner Royal Palace and showed good form during a brief racing career, finishing second in the Musidora Stakes.
A year before Fairy Footsteps was foaled, Glass Slipper had produced Light Cavalry, a colt who won the St Leger in 1980.
According to Timeform, she "ran rings round the opposition", taking the lead three furlongs from the finish and winning by 4+1⁄2 lengths from Madam Gay with Exclusively Raised in fourth and Leap Lively in fifth place.
Fairy Footsteps began her three-year-old season in the Nell Gwyn Stakes, a trial race for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in April.
[2] A week previously Piggott had been dragged under the stalls at Epsom Downs Racecourse, resulting in ear injury which required 32 stitches and damage to ligaments in his back.
Fairy Footsteps remained in the Oaks field for a few days but then performed disappointingly in training and was withdrawn from the race.