Diophon
Diophon was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was probably the best two-year-old colt of his generation in England in 1923 when he won four of his five races including the July Stakes Lavant Stakes and Middle Park Stakes. In the following spring he gave his owner Aga Khan III the first of his many classic wins when he took the 2000 Guineas. He failed to win again that year but returned to take three valuable prizes in 1925. After his retirement from racing he had some success as a breeding stallion.
Background
Diophon was a "handsome" chestnut horse bred in England by Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon. As a yearling he was put up for auction at Doncaster and bought for 4000 guineas by George Lambton on behalf of the Aga Khan. The colt was sent into training with Dick Dawson at Whatcombe, near Lambourn in Berkshire.He was from the first crop of foals sired by the 1919 Derby winner Grand Parade, the rest of whose stud career was disappointing. Diophon's dam Donetta was a durable racemare who competed until the age before becoming a very successful broodmare, with her other foals including Diadem, Dionysos and Diadumenos.
Racing career
1923: two-year-old season
Diophon made a successful racecourse debut in the July Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse in which he was ridden George Hulme and won at odds of 7/1 from Obliterate. At the next Newmarket meeting he was allowed to walk over in the Chestefield Stakes when no horses appeared to oppose him and then took the Lavant Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse. Despite conceding weight to his seven opponents, Diophon started favourite for the Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket in early October but sustained his first defeat as he was beaten a head into second place by the previously unraced Woodend.Two weeks later, in "dismal weather conditions", Diophon started 2/1 favourite in an eleven-runner field for the Middle Park Plate over six furlongs at the same track. He won by one and a half lengths from Plack, a filly who went on to win the 1000 Guineas, with Knight of the Garter third and Woodend unplaced.
Although Diophon was considered a leading contender for the following year's British Classic Races he was regarded as being inferior to his female stablemate Mumtaz Mahal.
1924: three-year-old season
On 7 May, with Hulme in the saddle, Diophon started at odds of 11/2 in a twenty-runner field for the 116th running of the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket. In a very close finish, which saw the leaders racing up opposite sides of the wide Newmarket track, he was adjudged to have won by a head from Bright Knight with Green Fire a neck away in third. The photo-finish camera was not used in England at that time and most of the spectators disagreed with the judge's decision, believing that Bright Knight had crossed the line in front. The runner-up's jockey, Frank Bullock, stated that he was certain that he had won the race by at least a length. Diophon's victory provided a first classic success for both his owner and jockey.The 1924 Derby Stakes was run in exceptionally wet and testing conditions at Epsom Racecourse on 4 June. Despite doubts about his ability to cope with the heavy ground, Diophon was strongly fancied, but was never in contention and finished unplaced behind Sansovino who won easily. At Royal Ascot he ran in the Ribblesdale Stakes and finished second to Live Wire. In the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in August Diophon initially refused to go down to the start and had to be led by a mounted policeman. He took the lead in the straight but was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten by Burslem, leading to speculation that he was not "in love with racing".