Diamondback Fire, pictured above winning his first race, was this university's first foal in 30 years.
Image Credit: Jim McCue
(The following article appeared in The Diamondback on September 15th:)
Boomer Esiason starred in the NFL after leaving the University of Maryland, former Terp Steve Francis became NBA Rookie of the Year and Graham Zusi transitioned from Ludwig Field to the World Cup.
But it’s not only the human competitors bred at this university who stand out — Diamondback Fire, the first foal born on the campus in nearly 30 years, recently won his first race on Sept. 4.
“Nobody could really touch him,” said Amy Burk, university equine studies coordinator. “It was a big day for the university because we set off to raise an athletic horse. It is a huge win for students who helped raise him. It gives our program credibility — we’ve produced nice horses.”
Diamondback Fire, who was born in March 2013 on the campus farm, was sold December 2013 for $9,000 to Lou Rao Jr., his current owner. Burk said the horse has always been “very spirited.”
University alumnus Steven Moirano, who graduated with an animal sciences degree in 2014 and is now studying at Cornell’s veterinary school, said that he got hands-on experience with Diamondback Fire through an equine reproduction class.
“Leading up to the birth, the students in the equine reproduction class were responsible for checking the calcium levels in the mare’s milk, which is a big indicator of when she will give birth,” Moirano said. “When we decided it was likely she would have the foal, we stayed overnight in the barn on foal watch.”
Moirano said he, along with about 30 other students in the class, helped take care of Diamondback Fire by administering antibiotics, teaching him how to walk, feeding him and cleaning his stall, among other tasks.
“As someone who is very involved in the thoroughbred racing industry — my father has been an owner for almost 20 years — it was incredible to hear that he won,” he said. “It is also great for the breeding program since foals now born from the same mare will be worth more in the sale, which means more money to put back into the program.”
It is “somewhat surprising,” Moirano said, to see Diamondback Fire win his first race. Thoroughbreds are very prone to injury, he said, especially when they are being intensely pushed during race training.
“A large majority of young horses don’t even make it to their first race, so for him to be healthy and also win is an amazing thing,” Moirano said.
Rao echoed Moirano’s tone of surprise.
“We knew he had a lot of ability, but it’s pretty magnificent for a young horse to accomplish that — it usually takes a couple races to learn the process,” Rao said. “It was thrilling.”
