Countess Diana (March 22, 1995June 2006) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. As a two-year-old in 1997, she dominated the juvenile fillies division in North America, winning five of her six races including the

Schuylerville Stakes The Schuylerville Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested at a distance of six furlongs on dirt. A Grade III event, it current ...

, Spinaway Stakes, Alcibiades Stakes and

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

. At the end of the year she was voted

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both t ...

and rated the best American two-year-old filly for more than fifty years. Her subsequent racing career was relatively disappointing: she failed to win in four starts in 1998 before winning two minor races in 1999. After her retirement from racing she had limited success as a broodmare and died in 2006.

Background

Countess Diana was a bay mare bred in Kentucky by Richard S Kaster. She was raised at the Sunny Oak Farm near Paris. Her sire Deerhound never contested a Graded stakes race but had an excellent pedigree, being a son of Danzig out of the broodmare Lassie Dear, whose other descendants have included

A.P. Indy A.P. Indy (March 31, 1989 – February 21, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honors in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer for ...

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, Lemon Drop Kid and Wolfhound. Countess Diana's dam T V Countess was a Maryland-bred mare who won four races including the Politely Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. As a granddaughter of the broodmare War Exchange she was closely related to Curlin. During her racing career, Countess Diana was owned by Kaster with a variety of partners including his wife, Nancy, his sister (also Nancy) and his brother-in-law Donald Propson. The filly was initially sent into training with Carlos A. Garcia.

Racing career

1997: two-year-old season

Countess Diana made her track debut in a four and a half furlong

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

at Pimlico Race Course on June 6, 1997. Ridden by Mark Johnston, she raced in second before taking the lead in the straight and won by half a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

from Brac Drifter, with a gap of ten lengths back to the odds-on favorite Epistola in third. Her winning time of 51.5 was a new track record. After the race she was moved to the stable of Patrick Byrne. The filly was moved up in class for the Grade III Debutante Stakes at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

three weeks later. Ridden by

Shane Sellers Shane Jude Sellers (born September 24, 1966 in Erath, Louisiana) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. At age eleven, he began working around horses and in 1983 rode his first winner at Evangeline Downs. Sellers won several national ...

she drew clear of her opponents in the straight but was caught in the closing stages and was beaten half a length by Love Lock. On July 23, Countess Diana faced Love Lock again in the Grade II Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Starting the 2.3/1 second favourite she led from the start and won by two lengths from Love Lock. In August, Countess Diana was moved up in class and distance for the Grade I Spinaway Stakes at the same track. She was made the 1.7/1 favourite against four opponents headed by the

Adirondack Stakes The Adirondack Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1901. Held in the middle of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, the Adirondack Stakes is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race six and a half ...

winner Salty Pefume. Sellers sent the filly into the lead from the start and she won by six and a half lengths from Brac Drifter. On 11 October, Countess Diana was matched against the Matron Stakes winner Beautiful Pleasure in the Grade II Alcibiades Stakes over one and one sixteenth of a mile at Keeneland. As in her previous race, she led from the start and drew away in the closing stages to win by two and three quarter lengths from Lily of Gold with the favored Beautiful Pleasure in third. On November 11 Countess Diana started the 2/1 favorite for the fourteenth edition of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, which took place that year at Hollywood Park Racetrack. Beautiful Pleasure and Love Lock opposed her again, but her closest rivals in the betting were Career Collection (winner of the

Landaluce Stakes The Landaluce Stakes is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race which was held annually during the first part of July at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Created at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California in 1945 but aft ...

and the Sorrento Stakes) and Vivid Angel (

Del Mar Debutante Stakes The Del Mar Debutante Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each year in early September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 1999, the Debutante is raced on dirt at a distance of s ...

). Ridden as usual by Sellers, she tracked the 32/1 outsider Bay Harbor before moving into the lead half a mile from the finish before drawing away to win by a record margin of eight and a half lengths from Career Collection.

1998: three-year-old season

Before the start of the 1998 season, Countess Diana was transferred to the stable of

Bill Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the Nationa ...

. She made her seasonal debut in the Grade III Nassau Stakes over seven furlongs at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

on May 13. She started the odds-on favorite but stumbled at the start and was never able to challenge for the lead, finishing second of the four runners behind Jersey Girl. Despite her defeat, Countess Diana started favorite for the Grade I Acorn Stakes over one mile at the same course on June 7, but after showing some early speed she tired and finished fifth of the ten runners, eleven and a half length behind the winner Jersey Girl. She proved no match for Jersey Girl when the fillies met again in the

Mother Goose Stakes The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late June or early July, the race currently offers a purse of $300,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mi ...

three weeks later, finishing four and a half lengths behind the winner in fourth. After a two and a half month break, the filly returned in the Grade I

Gazelle Handicap The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-yea ...

at Belmont on September 12 and finished sixth of the seven runners behind Tap to Music.

1999: four-year-old season

After a break of eleven months, during which she was moved to the stable of Mary J Lomeiher, Countess Diana returned to the track and recorded her first success since the 1997 Breeders' Cup winning an allowance race over six and a half furlongs at Saratoga, leading from the start and beating Memory Call by five and three quarter lengths. When moved back up to Grade I class for the

Ballerina Handicap The Ballerina Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old or older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga S ...

at the same course three weeks later she started second favorite and showed some early speed but tired and finished ninth of the ten runners behind

Furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...

. Countess Diana was dropped back in class for an allowance race on turf at Keeneland on October 21. Ridden by Craig Perret, she led from the start and won by three lengths from Tasso's Magic.

Assessment and awards

In the Eclipse Awards for 1997, Countess Diana was named

. In the Experimental Free Handicap, a ranking of the best juveniles to race in North America, she was assigned a weight of 125 pounds, the highest awarded to a filly since First Flight in 1946.

Breeding record

Countess Diana produced at least six foals and four winners between 2001 and 2006: *Grass Gallop, a bay colt, foaled in 2001, sired by

Victory Gallop Victory Gallop (foaled May 30, 1995, in Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1998 Belmont Stakes to deny Real Quiet the Triple Crown, and was the 1999 Champion Older Dirt Male. Background Bred by Ivan Dalos' ...

, unraced *Count Me In, chestnut colt, 2002, by

, unplaced in his only recorded race *Mama Nadine, bay filly, 2003, by

, won two races including the Little Silver Stakes at Monmouth Park *Counselled, dark bay or brown colt, 2004, by

, won two minor races *King of California, dark bay or brown colt, 2005, by Gone West, won one race *Subtle Hunter, bay gelding, 2006, by Elusive Quality, won seven races Countess Diana was

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

in June 2006 at

Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital was established in Lexington, Kentucky in 1986 as a partnership between veterinarians William Rood and Thomas Riddle. The facility offers a range of services for the treatment of horses. They have cared for many famou ...

near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1995 racehorse births 2006 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 19-c Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winners