DIAMANT DE SEMILLY More than a progenitor
Diamant de Semilly’s lifetime story published in 2021 when the great stallion celebrated his 30th birthday
Diamant de Semilly’s genetics are present in every single stud-book. It is for this reason too that he is considered the most influential stallion of all times
There are so many things to say about Diamant de Semilly, who will be 30 years old on May 22nd. His is an amazing story due to the manner in which it developed in the course of three extraordinary decades. It is a story that initially started in show jumping arenas and then later on at stud farms where still today he remains one of the most popular stallions and a story in which this great progenitor literally overcame every obstacle. The story starts on the first day of his life, when his dam Venise des Cresles died an hour after foaling and so Diamant de Semilly grew up bottle-fed by the Levallois family, in total freedom together with another orphaned foal. Then in 2008 he managed to survive three operations to resolve a colic proving he had an exceptional constitution, far superior than shown in competitions. Diamant de Semilly’s story, however, is inextricably linked to that of his breeder, Jules Mesnildrey, and that of Germain Levallois. The first result of their cooperation was in fact Le Tot de Semilly, out of a young mare that Levallois had bought for Mesnildrey, and the same thing happened a year later with Venise des Cresles bought at the Saint-Lô auction specifically to be crossed with Le Tot.
Eric Levallois è però l’uomo che più di tutti ha contribuito a rendere Diamant de Semilly un mito. «Avevo già un feeling fantastico con suo padre, Le Tot de Semilly, ma con Diamant è stato tutto ancora più speciale.» – racconta. «Ho iniziato a montarlo a tre anni e mezzo senza però mai saltare a casa fino ai sei, ma solo in gara, come esercizio. Era incredibile, con lui potevo sempre fare quello che volevo, quindi ho sempre pensato che sarebbe stato inutile chiedergli di più nel lavoro. Diamant passava così tutta la settimana nel paddock e solo il giorno prima di uscire in gara lo montavo un po’. A sette anni, quando abbiamo iniziato a lavorare sul serio sapeva già fare tutto.»
Per Diamant de Semilly le mezze misure non sono mai esistite, ed in gara è stato un campione dalla forza fisica e dalla potenza uniche, qualità che ha poi trasmesso alla maggior parte della sua progenie.
Diamant de Semilly has so far sired almost 6,000 horses registered in stud books everywhere
His sports career took off in 1999 when he won the French Championship and ended in 2007 after 33 wins, among them the Grands Prix in Liège, Pioltello, Caen, Saint Lo (twice), Auvers and Cabourg, and the Nations Cups in Rome in 2002 and La Baule in 2003,shows at which he was respectively third and second in the Grand Prix.
The height of his success was winning Team Gold at the World Equestrian Games at Jerez de la Frontera in 2002 and Team Silver at the 2003 European Championships in Donaueschingen. «Every extraordinary horse has a special story,» adds Eric Levallois, «If my father Germain had not rushed to bring Diamant home we would never have known him.» And there would not have been so many amazing super champions. Over two hundred of the almost 6,000 offsprings that Diamant de Semilly has sired and that are registered in every stud book in the world, have jumped and and still jump in classes over 1.55, evidence of genetic power destined to make itself known forever.
