Diadem (1914–1931) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse who won the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

in 1917. She went on to become a top sprinter, recording two victories in both the

King's Stand Stakes The King's Stand Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled t ...

and the

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

. In total she won 24 of her 39 races. Diadem was bred and owned by

Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon, (19 August 1857 – 1 November 1941) was a British politician, diplomat, art collector and author. Early life Vincent was born at Slinfold, West Sussex on He was the youngest son of Sir Frederick Vinc ...

, and trained by

George Lambton George Lambton (23 December 1860 – 23 July 1945) was a British thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 1906, 1911 and 1912 seasons. Early life The Honourable George Lambton was born in London on 23 ...

. The

Diadem Stakes A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

was named after her.

Background

Diadem was a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

bred by

and foaled in 1914. She was sired by

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

and

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

winner

Orby __NOTOC__ Orby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map: Skegness, Alford & Spilsby: (1:25 000): It is situated approximately east from the town of Spilsby, and west from the seaside ...

. As a

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

Orby sired Derby winner Grand Parade and

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

winner

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

. Diadem's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

was Donnetta, a daughter of

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

Racing career

1916: Two-year-old season

Diadem won the New Coventry Stakes at Newmarket by two

lengths 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 Intern ...

from Golden Maid. She then won the five-furlong Fulbourne Stakes at Newmarket by three lengths from Sunset Glow. At the end of the year she also won the five-

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 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Moulton Stakes at Newmarket.

1917: Three-year-old season

In May she won the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

after starting as the 6/4 favourite. Sunny Jane finished second, with Nonpareil in third. At Newmarket she finished unplaced in the New Derby that was won by

Gay Crusader Gay Crusader (1914–1932) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won a wartime version of the English Triple Crown in 1917. In a career which lasted from September 1916 and October 1917 he ran ten times and won eight races, includ ...

. She started as the favourite for the New Oaks. The filly Sunny Jane took the lead of the race with four furlongs left to run and was then challenged by Diadem. Sunny Jane held off Diadem to win by half a length, with Moravia a further four lengths back in third place. In October she won the six-furlong Great Eastern Railway Handicap at Newmarket, beating Roscius by half a length.

1918: Four-year-old season

In May 1918, Diadem won the Salford Borough Handicap at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

by half a length from Golly Eyes. She was carrying 10 pounds more weight than any of the other horses in the field. In October she won the Snailwell Stakes after starting as the odds-on favourite. Later in the month she finished third in the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

, three and a half lengths behind winner My Dear.

1919: Five-year-old season

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

in 1919 Diadem started as the 7/2, fourth favourite for the

. She won the race by two lengths from favourite Best Born. In July she beat Iron Hand by three lengths to win the

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

at Newmarket. At Goodwood she started in the

King George Stakes The King George Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is sc ...

, but another runner, Sun d'Or cut across her at the start and she was never in contention, cantering home behind winner Chiffre d'Amour and two others. At the

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

St. Leger meeting she carried top weight and started favourite for the seven-furlong Town Moor Handicap. She took the lead with a quarter of a mile still to run and despite being challenged in the closing stages, she held on the win by a head from Quadrille. In October Diadem beat her only opponent, Freesia, by three quarters of a length to win the Challenge Stakes. Later in the month she finished second of eighteen in the Cambridgeshire Stakes, six lengths behind winner Brigand.

1920: Six-year-old season

In June 1920 she walked over for the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot. She also won the All-Aged Stakes by six lengths from her only rival, Tetramenter. The following day she recorded her second victory in the King's Stand Stakes., before walking over for her second July Cup. In July she finished second in Molyneux Plate, two lengths behind Racket. She had her third walk over of the year in September for the Snailwell Stakes. In October she won the Thames Stakes at Kempton by three lengths from Prince Umbria, before finishing third in the Champion Stakes, seven lengths behind winner Orpheus.

1921: Seven-year-old season

In June 1921 Diadem finished fourth in the Royal Stakes at Epsom, behind winner Orby's Pride. Later in the month she finished second behind Monarch in the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot.

Assessment

In 1918 she was described as "one of the most brilliant sprinters seen in England for very many years." She finished her career with 24 wins from 39 starts. In 1946

named a new sprint race in her honour, the

, which is now known as the British Champions Sprint Stakes.

Breeding record

Diadem was retired to become a broodmare. In 1928 one of her foals, Dian, was sold for 14,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

. At the same auction Diadem herself was purchased by Major Mairs for 10,000 guineas. Diadem died in 1931.

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, br. =

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

'' * Diadem was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3x4 to

Galopin Galopin (1872–1899) was a Great Britain, British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1874 until October 1875 he ran nine times and won eight races. He was one of ...

. This means that the stallion appears once in the third generation and once in the fourth generation of her pedigree.

References

{{1000 Guineas winners 1914 racehorse births 1931 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-n 1000 Guineas winners