three diamonds
Born on March 24, 1979, Three Diamonds was bred by Tom Crouch’s Kentuckiana Farms and owned by George Segal of Brittany Farms who purchased her at the Kentucky Standardbred Sales Company’s first Annual Yearling Sale in 1980. Under the name Opaque, she sold for $100,000. Renamed Three Diamonds because of Segal’s love of bridge, over two years she raced to 25 wins in 31 starts. She was trained by Gene Riegle and driven by his son Bruce. As a broodmare, Three Diamonds produced a total of 8 starters, with five under 1:55 and winners of $2,804,986.
In 1981 Three Diamonds took victories in nine of her ten freshman year starts including the Debutante Stake, the Sweetheart Consolation, the John Chapman Memorial and a division of the Countess Adios where she set a 1:56 world record for two-year-old pacing fillies. She closed the season with total earnings of $233,489 – the second highest by a two-year-old filly pacer that year - and took the title of Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year.
Three Diamonds’ 1982 sophomore year was even more successful with 16 wins out of 21 starts. Her victories included the Mistletoe Shalee (setting a track record), Tarport Hap, Adioo Volo, Helen Dancer, Jugette, and a division of the Bluegrass Stake, during which she set a world record of 1:53.1 for pacing fillies on a mile track. That year Three Diamonds was the top money-winning filly pacer, amassing a total of $502,270 and bringing her lifetime earnings to $735,759. She was named Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year. At the time of her retirement she held or shared world records for three-year-old filly pacers on all three size tracks – 1:53.1 on the mile oval, 1:55.3 on the five-eighths and 1:56.1 on the half-mile. She also matched Niatross’ all-age two-heat record of 3:47.3 on a mile track.
In 1983, Segal sold fifty percent interest in his mares, including Three Diamonds, to Alan Leavitt’s Lana Lobell Farm in New Jersey. Three Diamonds’ pairing with Hall of Fame Immortal Big Towner p,4,1:54.4 ($547,126) produced Threefold p,3,1:51.1 ($634,004), winner of the 1988 Review Stakes and Little Brown Jug Preview. The 1985 breeding to Tyler B p,3,1:55.1 ($687,388) resulted in unraced Trilogy Lobell, who went on to foal five $100,000 winners and is the granddam of Eternal Camnation p,5,1:49.2 ($3,748,574), the richest pacing mare in Standardbred history.
Three Diamonds returned to Brittany Farms in 1988 with the No Nukes filly Sign of Life at her side. Sign of Life would later produce three $100,000 winners including Living With Art p,3,1:51s ($345,967). In 1989 Segal bred Three Diamonds to Abercrombie, resulting in Life Sign p,3,1:50.3 ($1,912,454), the 1993 Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown winner and sire of 2002 Horse of the Year Real Desire p,4,1:48.2 ($3,159,814); he in turn sired Jug winner Tell All p,3,1:48.3 ($1,509,227). Three Diamonds’ foal Lifetime Success by Matt’s Scooter produced world champion American Ideal p,3,1:47.4 ($786,055), winner of the 2005 Confederation Cup, Bluegrass and Tattersall’s Pace, Make A Success p,5,1:50.3f ($623,381) and Equalize p,1:52.4f ($323,471).
Although Three Diamonds passed away on March 13, 1995 at Brittany Farms in Versailles, Kentucky, her daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters are among the most valued pacing mares in the breed today and carry her influence forward.