After her retirement from racing, she became an outstanding broodmare, producing Starborough, Aristotle and Ballingarry, and being the female-line ancestor of St Nicholas Abbey and Charming Thought.
Flamenco Wave was a "well-made"[2] chestnut mare with a white star bred in Kentucky by Dan J Agnew & Cardiff Stud Farms.
She was from the first crop of foal sired by the American stallion Desert Wine, who finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 1983 before taking the Hollywood Gold Cup a year later.
[4] She was a great-granddaughter of Lea Lark, an American broodmare whose other descendants have included Tobougg, Miswaki, Almutawakel, Southern Halo Peter Davies, A Shin Hikari and White Muzzle.
Flamenco Wave was not among the early leaders as Heather Seeker set the pace, but began to make progress in the last quarter mile.