| Diminuendo | |
|---|---|
 Racing colours of Sheikh Mohammed | |
| Sire | Diesis |
| Grandsire | Sharpen Up |
| Dam | Cacti |
| Damsire | Tom Rolfe |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 9 Feb 1985[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Nancy S Dillman |
| Owner | Sheikh Mohammed |
| Trainer | Henry Cecil |
| Record | 10:6-1-2 |
| Earnings | £590,079 |
| Major wins | |
| Cherry Hinton Stakes (1987) Fillies' Mile (1987) Musidora Stakes (1988) Gold Seal Oaks (1988) Irish Oaks (1988) Yorkshire Oaks (1988) | |
| Awards | |
| Top-rated European three-year-old filly (1988) Timeform top-rated three-year-old filly (1988) Timeform rating 126 | |
Diminuendo (9 February 1985 – 2010) was an American-bred, British-trainedThoroughbredracehorse andbroodmare best known for winning two classic races, theEpsom Oaks and theIrish Oaks in 1988. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies of 1987, when she won all four of her races including theCherry Hinton Stakes andFillies' Mile. In 1988 she was beaten in her first two races, but won her next four, taking theMusidora Stakes, Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks andYorkshire Oaks. She finished second when favourite for theSt. Leger Stakes and ended her racing career by finishing unplaced in thePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but was rated the best three-year-old filly of the season in Europe. She was then retired to stud, where she had some success as a broodmare.
Diminuendo was a chestnut filly with a whitestar and three whitesocks,[2] bred in Kentucky by Nancy Dillman.[3] She was from the first crop of foals sired byDiesis, a British-bred stallion who was the top-rated two-year-old in Europe in 1982. Diesis went on to become a successful breeding stallion, and though based at Mill Ridge Stud in Kentucky, he had his greatest successes in Europe: his best winners includedLove Divine,Ramruma,Elmaamul andHalling.[4] Diminuendo's dam, the American-bred mare Cacti, also produced Pricket, a filly who finished second in the 1996 Epsom Oaks.[3]
Diminuendo was bought byMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (always known as "Sheikh Mohammed" in racing circles) and was sent to be trained byHenry Cecil at his Warren Place Stables inNewmarket. The filly was ridden in all her major victories by the American jockeySteve Cauthen.
As a two-year-old in 1987, Diminuendo was undefeated in four races, beginning with amaiden race atLeicester Racecourse in June,[5] in which she was ridden byWillie Ryan and won by tenlengths despite starting slowly.[6] In late June she won the six furlongEwar Stud Farm Stakes on the July course atNewmarket Racecourse by2+1⁄2 lengths[7] and in July she returned to the same course and distance for the Group ThreeCherry Hinton Stakes and won at odds of6/4[8] from Magic of Life, afilly who went on to win theMill Reef Stakes againstcolts and the Group OneCoronation Stakes. In September, Diminuendo was moved up in distance and class for theFillies' Mile atAscot Racecourse. Starting at odds of 2/1[8] she won from Haiati with the subsequentPrix Marcel Boussac winner Ashayer in third place. Despite her success, Cecil reportedly felt that the filly was past her best for the season.[9]
On her three-year-old debut, Diminuendo started 7/4 favourite for theNell Gwyn Stakes, a trial race for the 1000 Guineas, over seven furlongs at Newmarket on 12 April. She was restrained by Cauthen in the early stages and despite making progress in the closing stages she was beaten three quarters of alength by Ghariba, to whom she was conceding fivepounds.[10] Sudden Love and Ela Romara, the fillies in third and fourth place, went on to win theE. P. Taylor Stakes and theNassau Stakes respectively. On 28 April, Diminuendo started the 6/1 second favourite for the 175th running of the 1000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile. In a change of tactics, Cauthen sent the filly into the lead from the start, but in the final quarter mile she was overtaken and beaten into third place byRavinella and Dabaweyaa.[11] Twelve days after her defeat at Newmarket, Diminuendo was moved up in distance for the Musidora Stakes over10+1⁄2 furlongs atYork. Startin the 8/13 favourited, she took the lead three furlongs from the finish and accelerated clear of the field to win impressively[12] by four lengths from Asl, with Princess Genista five lengths back in third.[13]
On 4 June, Diminuendo was one of eleven fillies to contest the 210th running of the Oaks Stakes (known for sponsorship reasons as the Gold Seal Oaks) over1+1⁄2 miles atEpsom Downs Racecourse. She was made 7/4 favourite ahead of Dabaweyaa and thePrix Cléopâtre winner Indian Rose. Diminuendo turned into the straight before accelerating into the lead approaching the final quarter mile. She drew clear in the closing stages to win by four lengths from Sudden Love, with the French-trained Animatrice in third.[14] Five weeks after her win at Epsom, Diminuendo started the 2/9 favourite for the Irish Oaks at theCurragh. Diminuendo was held up by Cauthen in the early stages before moving up to join the leaders in the straight but soon came under pressure and it was only in the final strides that she caught theMichael Stoute-trainedMelodist to force adead heat.[15] Melodist, the winner of theOaks d'Italia was also owned by Sheikh Mohammed, whose Kildangan Stud sponsored the race.[16] At York in August, only five fillies appeared to oppose Diminuendo in the Yorkshire Oaks. Starting the 30/100 favourite, she was never in danger of defeat and won impressively by five lengths from Sudden Love.[17]
AtDoncaster Racecourse on 10 September, Diminuendo was matched against colts for the first time in the St Leger Stakes over14+1⁄2 furlongs. Ridden byWalter Swinburn (Cauthen was injured),[18] she was made odds-on favourite, but was beaten a length by the coltMinster Son. She was expected to be retired after the Leger, but Cecil allowed the filly to travel toLongchamp Racecourse for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, for which she was well-fancied despite an unfavourable draw.[19] After reaching fourth place early in the straight she faded in the closing stages and finished tenth behindTony Bin.
The independentTimeform organisation gave Diminuendo a rating of 126 in 1988, making her the highest-rated three-year-old filly. In the same year, she was also the top-rated filly of her generation in Europe on the official International Classification.[20] In their book,A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Diminuendo an "average" winner of the Oaks.[21]
Diminuendo was retired from racing to become a broodmare for her ownersDarley Stud and died in 2010.[22] She was not a great success but produced at least three winners, one of whom won at Group race level:
| Sire Diesis (GB) 1980 | Sharpen Up (GB) 1969 | Atan | Native Dancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Marriage | |||
| Rocchetta | Rockfella | ||
| Chambiges | |||
| Doubly Sure (GB) 1971 | Reliance | Tantieme | |
| Relance | |||
| Soft Angels | Crepello | ||
| Sweet Angel | |||
| Dam Cacti (USA) 1977 | Tom Rolfe (USA) 1962 | Ribot | Tenerani |
| Romanella | |||
| Pocahontas | Roman | ||
| How | |||
| Desert Love (USA) 1962 | Amerigo | Nearco | |
| Sanlinea | |||
| Desert Vision | Roman | ||
| Desert Sun (Family: 1-d)[26] |
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