Digamist (26 March 1985 – February 2011) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He raced only as a two-year-old in 1987 when he won two minor races and finished fourth in the Coventry Stakes before winning the Phoenix Stakes which was at that time the most valuable race for juveniles in Europe. He was well-beaten in two subsequent races and never appeared on the racecourse again. He sired many minor winners but made relatively little impact as a breeding stallion. He died in 2011 at the age of twenty-six.

Background

Digamist was a "rangy"^[2] chestnut horse with a broad white blaze and two white socks, bred in Kentucky by the bloodstock company Seahorse '84. As a yearling he was consigned to the Keeneland Select sale and was bought for $625,000 by representatives of Khalid Abdulla.^[2] The colt was sent to race in Europe and entered training with Jeremy Tree at Beckhampton in Wiltshire. He was ridden in most of his races by Pat Eddery.

He was sired by Blushing Groom, who won the Grand Critérium in 1976 and the Poule d'Essai des Poulains in 1977 before becoming a very successful breeding stallion. His progeny included Arazi, Blushing John, Nashwan, Rahy, Rainbow Quest and Snow Bride.^[3] Digamist's dam Disconiz was a successful racemare who won seven races including the 1980 edition of the Princess Stakes.^[4] Disconiz's female-line ancestors had been bred in South America for several generations, being descendants of the British mare Flitaway (foaled in 1905) who was exported to Argentina in 1910. Flitaway was a half-sister to the influential broodmare Sterling Balm.^[5]

Racing career

Stud record

Despite reports that Digamist would resume his racing career in North America, he did not race again and was retired to become a breeding stallion. He was based at the Irish National Stud until 1993, and was then returned to his native Kentucky, where he stood at the Crown Colony Farm and later at the Margaux Stud. In 1997 he moved to Xanthus Farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he remained for the rest of his life. He was euthanised in February 2011 owing to "complications from old age".^[6]

Digamist sired champions in Panama and Austria, while the best of his North American runners included the Canadian stakes winner Second Chance.^[6]

Pedigree

• Digamist was inbred 3 × 4 to Nasrullah, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

References