Her sire was Princequillo, an Irish-bred horse who originally had a reputation as a "plodder" because his major victories came in long distance races.
[2] Somethingroyal's dam Imperatrice was a stakes winning mare who was bought by Chenery at a dispersal sale in 1947 for $30,000.
[3] Somethingroyal was named the 1973 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year when at age 18 she became the oldest mare to foal an American Triple Crown winner, Secretariat.
[1] As both Secretariat and Sir Gaylord were successful sires, inbreeding to Somethingroyal became fairly common in later generations.
Somethingroyal is one of the key influences tracked by the Rasmussen Factor, a Thoroughbred breeding theory that measures inbreeding to superior producers.