Diamond Shoal
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Diamond Shoal (6 May 1979 – ca.1996) was a British
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
and
sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...
. He showed some promise as a two-year-old, winning two of his six races. In the following year he won only one minor race but was placed in several major races, including a third-place finish in the
St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...
. In 1983, Diamond Shoal emerged as a leading middle-distance performer, winning the
John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs ( ...
in England, the Grand Prix d'Evry and
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...
in France, the
Gran Premio di Milano The Gran Premio di Milano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. The event ...
in Italy and the
Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...
in Germany. He was widely regarded as the best older male racehorse in Europe in 1983. He was retired to stud at the end of the year but had little success as a sire of winners.


Background

Diamond Shoal was a bay horse with a white
sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
on his left hind leg bred by his owner
Paul Mellon Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 2, 1999) was an American philanthropist and a horse breeding, breeder of thoroughbred horse racing, racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Muse ...
. He was sired by Mellon's stallion
Mill Reef Mill Reef (23 February 1968 – 2 February 1986) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a three-year career from 1970 to 1972, he won twelve of fourteen races and finished second in the other two. The horse w ...
and American-bred horse who won the Epsom Derby,
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...
and
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
in 1971. Mill Reef's other offspring included
Reference Point Reference point or similar may refer to: Mathematics and science *Reference point (physics), used to define a frame of reference *Reference point, a point within a reference range or reference interval, which is a range of values found in healthy ...
,
Milligram The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (m ...
,
Shirley Heights Shirley Heights (1 March 1975 – 17 March 1997) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and winner of the Derby in 1978. The colt had previously won the Royal Lodge Stakes and the Dante Stakes, and he went on to win the Irish Derby before his ra ...
, Lashkari and
Doyoun Doyoun (8 March 1985 – 5 December 2002) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1988. In a racing career which lasted from October 1987 until October 1988 he ran seven times and won ...
. Diamond Shoal was the second foal of his dam Crown Treasure, a daughter of
Graustark Graustark is a fictional country in Eastern Europe used as a setting for several novels by George Barr McCutcheon. Graustark's neighbors, which also figure in the stories, are Axphain to the north and Dawsbergen to the south. Description Gra ...
who was sent to Europe in to be covered by Mill Reef and remained there for several years owing to import restrictions. A year before Diamond Shoal was foaled, Crown Treasure had produced his full-brother
Glint of Gold Glint of Gold (5 April 1978 – 1990) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. A middle-distance specialist, he was noted for his toughness and consistency, winning ten races, finishing second six times and t ...
, an outstanding middle-distance performer who won the
Derby Italiano The Derby Italiano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year ...
,
Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...
,
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...
,
Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...
. Crown Treasure later produced Crystal Spirit, a leading
hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...
who won the Sun Alliance Hurdle and the
Cleeve Hurdle The Cleeve Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...
in 1991. Like many of Mellon's best horses, Glint of Gold was trained at
Kingsclere Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. At the centre of the village lies the Church Of England parish church of St. Mary's with its distinctive tower. St. Mary's church has C12 origins. It is cruciform and has N ...
in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
by
Ian Balding Ian Balding (born 7 November 1938) is a British retired horse trainer. He is the son of the polo player and racehorse trainer Gerald Matthews Balding and the younger brother of trainer Toby Balding. Ian Balding was born in the US, but his fami ...
. He was named after a dangerous area of sandbanks near
Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...
.


Racing career


1981: two-year-old season

Diamond Shoal began his racing career by winning a six
furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
maiden race at
Bath Racecourse Bath Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue on Lansdown Hill, about northeast of Bath, Somerset, England. It is owned and operated by Arena Racing Company. The racecourse is a left-handed oval track of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 25 yard ...
in June, when he finished strongly to win from Bold Saracen. He then finished second in the Donnington Castle Stakes at
Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...
, before carrying top-weight to victory in a nursery handicap at
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
in August. He was then moved up in class and finished fourth behind Zilos if the Group Three
Seaton Delaval Stakes The Seaton Delaval Stakes was a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It was run at Newcastle, and in its later years it was scheduled to take place in August. History The event was named after Seaton Delaval, a ...
over seven furlongs at
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. On his last two appearances of the season he finished unplaced when carrying heavy weights in handicaps.


1982: three-year-old season

Diamond Shoal began his three-year-old season by winning a handicap over nine furlongs at
Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...
in June. He failed to win in eight subsequent starts but was placed in several major races and established himself as a high-class middle distance performer. He appeared to be rather unlucky when finishing fifth and then ran second to
Touching Wood Touching Wood (1979–2004) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1982. Touching Wood was still a maiden when he finished second to Golden Fleece in the 19 ...
in the Welsh Derby. He was then sent abroad for the first time and finished second to Anno in the
Bayerisches Zuchtrennen The Bayerisches Zuchtrennen is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year on the last Su ...
. On his return to England he finished second by three-quarters of a length to Electric in the
Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and ...
, with Touching Wood seven lengths back in third place. On 9 September at
Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...
Diamond Shoal started at odds of 9/1 for the
St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...
. He was held up towards the back of the field by John Matthias before switching to the outside to make a challenge in the straight. He reached third place a furlong and a half from the finish but could make no further progress and was beaten one and a half lengths and two and a half lengths by Touching Wood and Zilos. In October the colt was sent to Germany for the second time to contest the
Preis Von Europa The Preis von Europa is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse, Cologne over a distance ...
over 2400
metres The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
at
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. He started 5/2 favourite but finished third of the sixteen runners behind Ataxerexes. In October the colt was one of Britain's two representatives (alongside Awaasif) for the Washington, D.C. International Stakes at Laurel Park where he finished fourth behind the French mare
April Run {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = April Run , image = , caption = , sire = Run the Gantlet , grandsire = Tom Rolfe , dam = April Fancy , damsire = No Argument , sex = mare , foaled = 1978-{{death date and age, 1994, 1978 , country = ...
. At the end of the season Timeform expressed the view that the colt would be more successful if he were to be ridden in a way that would make greater use of his stamina.


1983: four-year-old season

Diamond Shoal began his third season in the John Porter Stakes over one and a half miles at Newbury in April and recorded his first success in ten months as he won decisively by three lengths from
Little Wolf Little Wolf (, sometimes transcribed ''Ohcumgache'' or ''Ohkomhakit'', more correctly translated Little Coyote, 18201904) was a Northern Só'taeo'o Chief and Sweet Medicine Chief of the Northern Cheyenne. He was known as a great military tactic ...
. In the
Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) ...
at Newmarket two weeks later he was held up for a late run but was never able to reach the leaders and finished fifth behind Electric. In May he was sent to France for the first time and was ridden by
Cash Asmussen Cash Asmussen (born March 15, 1962, in Agar, South Dakota, Agar, South Dakota) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born Brian Keith Asmussen, in 1977 he legally changed his name to "Cash". From a Texas horse racing family, his paren ...
in the Grand Prix d'Evry. Starting favourite he tracked the leaders before winning easily by one and a half lengths although he caused some alarm after passing the post when he swerved violently to the right. Asmussen said that the colt had seemed to be trying to return to the racecourse stables. On his next appearance Diamond Shoal ran in the
Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...
at Epsom on 2 June. He led and set a moderate pace before being overtaken in the closing stages and finishing fourth of the five runners behind
Be My Native Be My Native (foaled 16 February 1979) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old he won one minor race but established himself as a potentially top class horse by finishing second in the Dewhurst St ...
. He was then sent to Italy where he recorded a very easy four length victory over Easter Sun, in the Gran Premio di Milano, becoming the first British-trained to win the race since its inception in 1924. In early July, Diamond Shoal ran again in France when he contested the Group One Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over 2500 metres. He started at odds of 9.6/1 in a field which included Lancastrian (
Prix Ganay The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at L ...
), Electric, Zalataia (
Oak Tree Invitational Stakes The John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (renamed for John Henry who won it three times) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the Oak Tree Racing Association's Autumn Meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is r ...
), Lemhi Gold and
All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred mare that was foaled and trained in France. She was one of the top European fillies since World War II. While she mostly raced in Europe, the filly also won top-le ...
. Ridden by
Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...
, Diamond Shoal raced in second behind Lemhi Gold before taking the lead 300m from the finish and winning comfortably by three-quarters of a length from Lancastrian with Zalataia in third place. Diamond Shoal was emulating his brother Glint of Gold who had won the race in 1982. On 23 July Diamond Shoal was one of nine horses to contest the thirty-third running of Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over one and a half miles at Ascot. Ridden for the only time by
Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and horse trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
, he started fourth favourite at odds of 8/1 behind the three-year-olds
Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...
and
Sun Princess Sun Princess may refer to: * ''Sun Princess'' (ship), various ships * Sun Princess (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse * Sun Princess, the title given to the second place winner of the Sun and Salsa Festival pageant See also * Princess Sun Prin ...
and the four-year-old filly
Time Charter Time Charter (6 April 1979 – 7 July 2005) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won several major middle-distance races between 1982 and 1984. After winning twice as a two-year-old in 1981, she developed ...
. With the other runners including Awaasif, Lemhi Gold and Lancastrian. As at Saint-Cloud, he tracked Lemhi Gold in the early stages and took the lead with three furlongs left to run. He held off challenges from Awaasif and Sun Princess and looked the likely winner before being overtaken inside the final furlong and was beaten three-quarters of a length by Time Charter. On 4 September Diamond Shoal ran in Germany again in the
Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...
in which he was matched against the leading German three-year-old Abary. According to Timeform, the race was "no contest" as Diamond Shoal took the lead 800 metres from the finish and "cantered" to a three and a half length victory. On his final appearance, Diamond Shoal started third favourite for the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
in October, but failed to reproduce his best form and finished twelfth of the twenty-six runners behind All Along. Plan to continue the colt's career in Japan and the United States were ended when he sustained a hock injury.


Assessment

In 1981 Diamond Shoal was given a rating of 101 by the independent
Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...
organisation, 31 pounds below their top-rated two-year-old Wind and Wuthering. In the following year his Timeform rating of 121 placed him 13 pounds behind the top-rated three-year-olds
Assert Assertion or assert may refer to: Computing * Assertion (software development), a computer programming technique * assert.h, a header file in the standard library of the C programming language * Assertion definition language, a specification lan ...
and Green Forest. In the official International Classification he was rated 14 pounds behind the top-rated Golden Fleece. In 1983, Diamond Shoal was given a rating of 130 by Timeform, making him the top-rated older male of the season. He was also the top-rated older male in the official International Classification, and the fifth highest-rated horse of any age behind
Shareef Dancer Shareef Dancer (1980–1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Shareef Dancer was sired by Northern Dancer out of the mare Sweet Alliance by Sir Ivor. He was bought by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum for $3 ...
, All Along,
Habibti Habibti (foaled March 1980) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was one of the highest-rated sprinters in European racing history. Habibti was unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the Group Two Lowther ...
and
Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...
. In the Gilbey Racing awards, based on points accumulated for performances in major races, Diamond Shoal was named "Middle Distance Champion" and "Champion Racehorse of Europe".


Stud record

At the end of his racing career, Diamond Shoal was syndicated and retired to become a breeding stallion at the Walmac-Warnerton farm in
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
at an initial fee of $25,000. When he was older, he was exported to Japan. He was not a successful stallion but did sire a few good winners including Stormy Deep, an Ohio-bred gelding who won 17 races between 1989 and 1993. Diamond Shoal's last recorded foals were born in Japan in 1995. He was "put out of stud" in Japan on 11 October 1996.


Pedigree


References

{{reflist 1979 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 21-a