Deep Diver (horse)

Deep Diver made his racecourse debut on 27 March when he won the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse by seven lengths. He followed up with wins at Kempton in April[6] and York in May before being moved up in class at Royal Ascot in June. He started favourite for the New Stakes over five furlongs but seemed unsuited by the soft ground and finished third of the four runners behind Philip of Spain. Deep Diver's next race was the Group Three July Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse. Starting at odds of 4/1[7] and ridden by Frankie Durr, he won comfortably from his stable companion Wishing Star, which had been favoured in the betting.[4]

In the previous year, Robinson and Davey had dominated the major French two-year-old races with My Swallow and in late summer they attempted to repeat the feat with Deep Diver. In July at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse he contested the Group One Prix Robert Papin over 1100m but finished second to the Dick Hern-trained Sun Prince. A month later at Deauville Racecourse he finished fourth behind Daring Display in the Prix Morny over 1200m.[4]

On his return to Britain Deep Diver ran in the Norfolk Stakes (the race now known as the Flying Childers Stakes) at Doncaster in September and sustained his third consecutive defeat as he was beaten by the filly Rose Dubarry. Later that month he was sent to France again and won the Prix d'Arenberg over 1000m at Longchamp Racecourse. In October he was ridden by the Australian jockey Bill Williamson in the Cornwallis Stakes over five furlongs at Ascot. He started the 4/7 favourite[7] and won from Mansingh. In late October he was matched against older horses in the Group Two Prix du Petit Couvert over 1000m at Longchamp. He became the first British-trained horse to succeed the race[8] as he won by five lengths in a course record time from the four-year-old Montgomery, the winner of the Prix du Gros Chêne and the Prix de Saint-Georges.[4]

Like many of the horses at Clarehaven, Deep Diver was affected by a viral infection in the spring of 1972, and took a long time to reach peak fitness. On his only start in the early part of the year he finished second to the five-year-old Shiny Tenth in the Palace House Stakes over five furlongs at Newmarket. Two months later at Goodwood Racecourse he was ridden by Lester Piggott in the King George Stakes. He took the lead in the closing stages and looked likely to win, but was caught in the last stride and beaten a short head by the filly Stilvi. The winning time was a new course record.[4]

At York Racecourse in August, Deep Diver faced a field which included Stilvi, Rose Dubarry and the July Cup winner Parsimony in the Nunthorpe Stakes. Ridden by Williamson, he started at odds of 100/30[7] and won by two lengths from Stilvi in a new course record time of 57.7 seconds. In October he ended his career in the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000m at Longchamp. Despite an unfavourable draw he was never seriously challenged and won by four lengths[9] from Home Guard. Plans to run the colt in the Prix du Couvert were abandoned because of the prevailing soft ground.[4]