Amber Champagne
Show winning mare. Registered as a chestnut (champagne wasn't well understood then) with blue eyes. Previous name: Johnny's Golden Girl. Foaled June 19,1969. Died August of 1990. Placed 1st in a 2-y-o class in Alabama. Dam of 7 registered foals and one unregistered champagne filly that died young. The Champagne gene owes its name to a classic (black) champagne Tennessee Walker mare named Champagne Lady Diane (foaled in 1969). She was named for her color, which reminded her owner of sparkling wine. Samples of Champagne Lady Diane’s hair were sent to the University of Tennessee and Auburn University by her owner Diane Green. She was described by them as “a genetic color accident”, which I presume means they thought her color was due to a new mutation. In fact Champagne Lady Diane was not the first champagne horse and probably inherited the Champagne gene from her dam, Mack’s Golden Girl H, who was probably a gold champagne. There is plenty of evidence that the Champagne mutation pre-dates Champagne Lady Diane.https://www.horse-genetics.com/champagne-horses.html