Diana Firestone, who with her late husband Bertram raced the Kentucky Derby-winning filly Genuine Risk, owned breeding farms on two continents, and briefly operated two Florida racetracks, died on Feb. 12 in Palm Beach, Fla., according to her family. Firestone was 91. An accomplished horsewoman from a very young age, Diana Firestone parlayed her love of horses into an international Thoroughbred empire, breeding and racing horses that would win top races around the world. Together with her husband, they campaigned seven Eclipse Award winners and bred 11 graded/group winners, including Theatrical, the 1987 champion grass horse, and Paradise Creek, the 1994 champion grass horse. Bertram, who was also an accomplished equestrian rider, and Diana Firestone married in 1973, seven years after Bertram had purchased his first racehorse. They immediately purchased a breeding farm in Waterford, Virginia, that was named Catoctin Farm after a creek that ran through the property. They later acquired another breeding operation in Virginia, Newstead Farm, and ran their international operation out of Gilltown Stud in Ireland near The Curragh. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic.  While the couple had many highly successful horses, Genuine Risk was the headline-grabber. In 1980, she became only the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby, 65 years after Regret first accomplished the feat. Adored by the general public, Genuine Risk also finished second in both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, and she was named champion 3-year-old filly, with the Firestones garnering that year’s champion owner title. After a brief campaign as a 4-year-old, Genuine Risk was retired to Newstead. She lived her entire life at Newstead, and went through a string of unsuccessful matings, miscarriages, and stillborn foals. She produced only two living foals, neither of which raced. She died in 2008 at the age of 31. Born in New Brunswick, N.J., Diana Firestone grew up in a wealthy family. Her father was the son of a co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, and her mother was a native of Bermuda. She learned riding in England, and she embraced the equestrian lifestyle in her teenage years. She competed on the U.S. equestrian team as a young adult. In an announcement of her death, Diana’s children said that their mother remained passionate throughout her life for the various properties she owned and operated. “When she wasn’t with her horses or her family, she was watering trees or caring for the gardens, always with a happy dog, or three, tagging along behind her,” the announcement said. Bertram, who made his fortune as a real-estate developer, and Diana also made a brief foray into racetrack ownership, purchasing both Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park in south Florida in the late 1980s. Facing a cash crunch due to the all-debt structure of the deal to buy the tracks, they sold both late in 1991. “While I have enjoyed the racetracks, one cannot fall in love with any business,” said a statement the couple issued after reaching the deal. “The offers we received made it more attractive for us to sell than to remain in these businesses.” Betram died in the summer of 2021 at the age of 89. The roster of international winners bred or campaigned by the couple includes Blue Wind, the winner of the 1981 Epsom Oaks; Flash of Steel, who won the 1986 Irish 2000 Guineas; Half Iced, who won the 1982 Japan Cup; and Vintage Crop, who won the 1993 Melbourne Cup. Diana Firestone is survived by four children, Lorna, Christopher, Cricket, and Alison; three stepsons, Matthew, Ted, and Greg; and 16 grandchildren. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.