As he closed in on his 31st birthday, the legendary stallion and iconic sire Diamant de Semilly passed away peacefully at his home. Eric Levallois wrote an emotionally fitting announcement on social media on February 15: “Our dearest Diamant, the emblem of the Haras, left us yesterday morning. He passed away peacefully, leaving behind a great emptiness. Our team is devastated. Diamant enjoyed life until the end, and had a beautiful and well-deserved retirement, surrounded by a loving and caring team. I lost my horse, but most of all my best friend... EL”.

Bred in 1991 by Jules Mesnildrey, this son of Le Tôt de Semilly enjoyed a successful sporting career under the saddle of Eric Levallois, famously winning a French team gold medal at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, one of a unique quartet of Selle Français stallions. One year later thay won a European championship silver. Diamant was only eight-years-old when his career as a sire was launched and, to date, he has over 4,000 offspring registered in France alone, plus several thousand more with other studbooks with whom he and some 92 sons were popularly approved. To mention a few well-known names: Diarado (Roxette I x Corrado I); Emerald/aka Emerald van’t Ruytershof (Carthina Z x Carthago Z); Quickly de Kreisker (Briseis d’Helby x Laudanum xx); Elvis ter Putte (Ukase ter Putte x Darco); and Don VHP Z (Sara van het Parelshof x Voltaire).

An exceptional stallion has been lost to the world, although his name will always be remembered in the history books of sport horse breeding.