Dahlia (horse)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Dahlia
Sire
Timeform rating: 135
Honours
United States Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Dahlia Handicap at Hollywood Park Racetrack
Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse

Dahlia (March 25, 1970 – April 6, 2001) was an American-bred

broodmare
. She won major races in France, England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. She was the first Thoroughbred mare to earn more than $1 million and was one of the pioneers of inter-continental racing.

Originally trained in France, she showed early promise by winning the

Hollywood Invitational Handicap
.

After her retirement from racing she became a very successful broodmare, producing several major winners. She died in 2001 at the age of 31. Dahlia has been inducted into both the United States Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Background

Dahlia was a chestnut mare with a narrow white

blaze bred and owned by the Texas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt. The filly was sent to Europe to be trained in France by Maurice Zilber
.

Her sire, Vaguely Noble, won the

Rail Link.[5]

Racing record

1972: two-year-old season

She raced on turf in Europe, and during her career, few could successfully compete with her over the grass. As a two-year-old, she won the

Deauville Racecourse on her racecourse debut.[6] She finished fifth in her next two races before ending her campaign with a second place behind Begara in the Prix des Réservoirs over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse.[7]

1973: three-year-old season

Spring

Dahlia began her second season in April in the

5.4/1, Dahlia overtook Virunga early in the straight and won by one and a half lengths, with Kashara taking third ahead of Princess Arjumand. In the Prix de Diane at Chantilly Racecourse on 10 June, Dahlia faced a rematch with Allex France, who had run poorly in the Prix Lupin. She again proved no match for her rival but finished four lengths clear of the other 23 runners, including Virunga.[3]

Summer

On her next appearance, Dahlia was again moved up in distance when she was sent to Ireland for the

Irish St Leger) and Weavers' Hall (Irish Derby). Dahlia was in tenth place on the inside entering the straight but then wove her way through the field to take the lead just inside the last quarter mile. She accelerated away from her male opponents in the closing stages and won by six lengths from Rheingold.[8] Her margin of victory equaled that of Mill Reef in 1971 and the winning time of 2:30.43 was a record for the race. Timeform commented "seldom can a top-class, hotly-contested, weight-for-age race have been won as impressively".[3]

Autumn

After a break of six weeks Dahlia returned in the Prix Niel at Longchamp on 9 September in which she was matched against the Grand Prix de Paris winner Tennyson. She beat Tennyson by half a length, despite being eased down by Pyers in the closing stages. Dahlia's third clash with Allez France in the Prix Vermeille saw her start a slight favourite ahead of her rival in a field which also included Virunga, Gay Style and Hurry Harriet. Allez France won while Dahlia finished the race lame in fifth place, having sustained an injury to her left hind leg. Despite struggling to recover from her injury she was allowed to run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on 7 October but never looked likely to win and finished sixteenth of the twenty-seven runners behind Rheingold.[3]

For her final run of 1973, Dahlia was sent to the United States for the 22nd running of the

Laurel Park Racecourse on 10 November. The other European challengers were Scottish Rifle, Hurry Harriet, Card King (fourth in the Arc) and Acacio d'Aguilar (Preis von Europa), whilst the "home team" comprised Tentam (the 7/10 favourite), Big Spruce and London Company. After being restrained towards the rear of the field until the straight, Dahlia produced a strong late run on the outside and took the lead in the final furlong. She drew away in the final strides to win by two and a quarter lengths from Big Spruce, with Scottish Rifle in third, becoming the first female horse to win the race.[9] After the race Zilber was asked to compare Dahlia to the American champion Secretariat and said "She could beat Secretariat any day in any country. I would like to see a match race. I would even put up my money".[10]

1974: four-year-old season

Spring

Dahlia took time to reach her best form in 1974. She was well beaten by Allez France in her first two starts, finishing fourth in the Prix d'Harcourt on 15 April and fifth in the Prix Ganay three weeks later. In June she resumed her international campaign at Epsom Downs Racecourse for the Coronation Cup over one and a half miles. She looked unimpressive in the pre-race paddock as she had done in her previous race. She was given what was described by Timeform as a "preposterous task" by her jockey as she trailed the field by many lengths in the early stages before making progress in the straight and finishing third behind Buoy and Tennyson.[11]

Summer

Benson and Hedges Gold Cup over ten and a half furlongs at York Racecourse.[12] Highclere and Snow Knight were again in the field along with Imperial Prince
(runner-up in the Epsom and Irish Derbies), whilst Hippodamia was again there to set the pace. Dahlia, ridden again Piggott, had some difficulty obtaining a clear run in the straight before taking the lead a furlong and a half from the finish and winning by two and a half lengths from Imperial Prince with Snow Knight in third.

Autumn

On 15 September at Longchamp Dahlia started 3/10 favourite for the

Man O' War Stakes at Belmont Park on 11 October. Maurice Zilber was very unhappy about the quarantine arrangements and felt that the filly came to the race in less than top condition. With Piggott suffering from an ear infection which meant he was unable to fly to the United States, Dahlia was ridden by Ron Turcotte and came from well off the pace on the final turn to win by two lengths from Crafty Khale, with London Company taking third ahead of Golden Don. Turcotte said "she did was she was supposed to do all by herself... I never touched her" whils London Company's jockey Eddie Maple commented "that filly just shot right by us".[13] Dahlia was reunited with Piggott when she contested the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack on 27 October. She raced along the rails behind the leaders as Snow Knight set a strong pace before accelerating through a gap to take the lead in the straight. She held off a late challenge from Big Spruce to win by a length in a track record time of 2:40.00. The New York Times reported Piggott as having said "Even when we were in traffic on the backside, apparently hemmed on the rail by two horses, I felt I had no cause for concern. I knew Dahlia had lots to give, and I knew some of those horses up front were going to break up as we entered the straight".[14]

On her final start of the season she started the 3/5 favourite in her attempt to repeat her 1973 success in the Washington, D.C.International. In a steadily run race she was forced to the outside on the final turn and entered the straight with six lengths to make up on the leaders. She made rapid progress but was unable to sustain her challenge and finished third behind Admetus and Desert Vixen. Piggott was strongly criticised in some sections of the American press, who felt that he had employed overexaggerated waiting tactics.[6][11] He responded by saying: "They can't win all the time, they're not machines, you know".[2]

1975: five-year-old season

As in the previous year, Dahlia struggled to find her best form in the early part of the season. She finished last of six to Allez France in the Prix Ganay, ninth of fifteen in the

starting stalls. Ridden by Piggott and starting at 6/1, she stayed on in the straight and finished third to Grundy and Bustino, ahead of On My Way, Card King, Ashmore and Star Appeal.[15] Dahlia's attempt to repeat her 1974 win in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup saw her start at odds of 7/2 behind the odds-on Grundy with the other runners being Card King, Star Appeal and the outsiders Jimsun and Meautry. Dahlia led from the start, and with Piggott winding up the pace from early in the straight she won easily from Card King and Star Appeal, with Grundy running poorly in fourth.[16]

Dahlia's win at York proved to be her only success of 1975. In the Grand Prix de Deauville on 31 August she finished third behind Duke of Marmalade and L'Ensorceleur but was promoted to second when the winner was disqualified. She then finished a close third behind Kasteel and Ramirez when favourite for the Prix du Prince d'Orange on 21 September. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, her last race in Europe, she met Allez France for the sixth and final time. She stumbled early in the race and was unable to recover, finishing fifteenth of the 24 runners behind Star Appeal. In late autumn she was again sent to North America and ran twice, starting with a fourth place behind Snow Knight in the Canadian International, in which she was given a great deal of ground to make up in the closing stages by her jockey Sandy Hawley. She then contested her third Washington D C International but sustained an injury in the race and finished eighth of the nine runners behind her stablemate Nobiliary.[16]

1976: six-year-old season

Sent to race permanently in

Las Palmas Handicap at Santa Anita Park on 30 October.[17]

Achievement and honours

In all, Dahlia had 48 starts, for 15 wins and 3 seconds and 7 thirds, defeating Classic-winning colts, in England, Ireland, France, Canada and the United States for $1,489,105 in prize money.

In the Handicap Optional, a ranking of the best French-trained two-year-olds, she was rated ten pounds inferior to the top-rated Targowice and seven pounds behind the top filly Allez France.[7] In 1972 the independent Timeform organisation gave her a rating of 132, level with Allez France and one pound behind the leading three-year-old colt Thatch. In the British Free Handicap she was rated the equal of Thatch with a rating of 140 pounds, making her the joint-best three-year-old of the season.[3] Following a poll conducted by the Racehorse Association Dahlia was named British Horse of the Year for 1973, taking 29 of the 39 votes.[4]

In 1974, Dahlia was again named British Horse of the Year, taking 32 of the 36 votes.

American Champion Turf Horse. In the same year Timeform gave her a peak rating of 135, one pound behind their Horse of the Year Allez France.[11] In the following year she was rated 128 by Timeform whilst the official French handicap rated her the third best older female behind Allez France and Comtesse de Loir. In the British handicap she was rated the second best older female behind Lianga.[16]

In 1981, Dahlia was inducted into the American Horse Racing Hall of Fame.[18] She was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2016.[19]

Breeding record

At the end of the 1976 racing season, Dahlia was retired and went on to a top record as a

Allen E. Paulson, who sent her to Diamond A Farm in Kentucky
.

Bred to leading stallions, she produced 13 foals:

She was pensioned in 1996 and remained Diamond A Farm until her death, at 31 years, in 2001. She was buried in the farm's horse cemetery.[28] The farm's manager Ted Carr said "She was a grand mare with great presence and we were sad to see her go. But we were honoured to have been her caretakers for the last 13 years."[29]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Dahlia (USA), chestnut mare, 1970[1]
Sire
Vaguely Noble (IRE)
1965 		Vienna (GB)
1957 		Aureole Hyperion
Angelola
Turkish Blood Turkhan
Rusk
Noble Lassie (GB)
1956 		Nearco (ITY) Pharos
Nogara
Belle Sauvage Big Game
Tropical Sun
Dam
Charming Alibi
1963 		Honeys Alibi
1952 		Alibhai Hyperion
Teresina
Honeymoon Beau Pere
Panoramic
Adorada (ARG)
1947 		Hierocles Abjer
Loika
Gilded Wave Gallant Fox
Ondulation (Family: 13-c)[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Dahlia pedigree". Equineline. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-354-08536-0
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e Timeform staff (1974). Racehorses of 1973. Timeform.
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-902-1
    .
  5. ^ a b "Stray Shot – Family 13-c". Thoroughbred Bloodlines. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  6. ^ a b Australian Stud Book: Dahlia Retrieved 2011-1-5
  7. ^ a b Timeform staff (1973). Racehorses of 1972. Timeform.
  8. ^ "Dahlia, American‐Owned Filly, Captures Richest English Race". New York Times. 1973-07-29. Section Sports, page 1. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  9. ^ "France's Dahlia takes Laurel's International". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. 11 November 1973.
  10. ^ "Dahlia cops International". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. 11 November 1973.
  11. ^ a b c d Timeform staff (1975). Racehorses of 1974. Timeform.
  12. ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3
    .
  13. Observer-Reporter
    . Associated Press. 14 October 1974.
  14. ^ Michael Strauss (28 October 1973). "Dahlia, Ridden by Piggott, $152,750 Stakes Winner". The New York Times.
  15. ^ "Grundy glides to victory". BBC Sport. 12 December 2003.
  16. ^ a b c Timeform staff (1976). Racehorses of 1975. Timeform.
  17. ^ "Dahlia – Statistics". Equibase.
  18. ^ "Dahlia – profile". National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
  19. ^ "Dahlia – profile". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
  20. ^ "Decadrachm – Statistics". Equibase.
  21. ^ "Dahar – Statistics". Equibase.
  22. ^ "Rivlia – Statistics". Equibase.
  23. ^ "Delegant – Statistics". Equibase.
  24. ^ "Wajd – Record By Race Type". Racing Post.
  25. ^ "Dahlia's Dreamer – Statistics". Equibase.
  26. ^ "Llandaff – Statistics". Equibase.
  27. ^ "Capital Plan – Results". Equibase. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  28. ^ Blood-Horse staff (13 April 2001). "International Champion Dahlia Euthanized". The Blood-Horse.
  29. ^ "Dahlia dies". Evening Standard. 14 April 2001.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dahlia_(horse)&oldid=1105115203"