Donald Dizney's Double Diamond Farm near Ocala, Fla., announced June 25 on social media the death of its homebred stallion Bahamian Squall. The son of Gone West was 17.
Dizney bred Bahamian Squall out of the unraced Storm Bird daughter Midway Squall, who the owner/breeder bought for $100,000 from Eaton Sales' consignment out of the 1997 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. Bahamian Squall became the mare's third stakes winner and her second graded stakes winner after grade 1-placed, grade 3 winner Apriority, who also raced as a Dizney homebred.
Bahamian Squall launched his racing career at 3 with trainer David Fawkes, winning his debut by 1 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park. He would run second in black-type company twice before landing his first stakes win in the Sunshine State Stakes at Gulfstream. At 4, he became a graded stakes winner after beating grade 1 winner Trinniberg in the 2013 Smile Spring Handicap (G2) at Calder Race Course. He went on in his next start to run second in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
Bahamian Squall retired in 2015 with 5-6-4 record from 25 starts and $582,920 in career earnings.
As a stallion, he ranked second in Florida's freshman sire class of 2019 behind Khozan . He remained among the top three of his sire class during their second-crop and third-crop years. From seven relatively limited foal crops, he has sired 60 winners to date led by multiple graded stakes winner Spirit Wind, who won the 2024 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) and 2023 Sugar Swirl Stakes (G3); and, stakes winner Special Princess, who won the 2021 Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Bahamian Squall sired three other stakes-placed winners in Bahamian Moon, Running Memories, and Bahamian Girl. To date, his progeny have collectively earned nearly $5.5 million.
