classic champagne horses

Classic champagne horses are champagne horses with a black base color (the color is sometimes also called champagne black). The coat is diluted to a very attractive lilac tan or pale smokey brown color, with the points being a darker version of the same color. The eyes are blue at birth but change to hazel or amber by about 3 months. The Champagne gene owes its name to a classic champagne Tennessee Walker mare named Champagne Lady Diane.

Classic champagne horses are sometimes mistaken for buckskins or grullas (black dun). They are also sometimes called "lilac dun". They are, however genetically distinct from these, and the cream (C^Cr) and dun(D^D) genes are not present. There are no primitive marks (such as dorsal stripes and leg barrings) as there are on dun horses. The pink skin and amber or hazel eyes also distinguish classic champagnes from these other dilute colors.

It seems likely that the suggested existence of a separate chocolate brown color was due to the observation of classic champagne, rather than to the existence of allele B^b at the brown locus.