Sil Sila was a bay mare bred in Ireland by her owner Luis Álvarez de Cervera's breeding company L A C International. As a foal in November 1993 she was offered for sale at Goffs but failed to make her modest reserve price of IR£9,500. During her racing career she carried the colours of Álvarez de Cervera's Turquoise Trading. The filly was sent into training with Bryan Smart at Lambourn in Berkshire. Smart recalled "She was a sweet filly... but she had an offset knee and could be lazy at home. If you were a gallop watcher you certainly wouldn't have picked her out as a future classic winner. However there was something about her that made her special".
