One of the most exciting horses catalogued in next week's Tattersalls July Sale, Ethical Diamond (Ire) is likely to appeal to buyers for the Flat and some of the powerhouse National Hunt trainers, according to his breeder William Kennedy.
Ethical Diamond confirmed himself a horse with a bright future when running out an easy winner of a Limerick maiden last month for Michael O'Meara and promises to attract plenty of footfall to Baroda Stud's barn this week.
He may not have made his debut until three, but Ethical Diamond has stepped forward in each of his three runs, with that easy Limerick win representing his first try at a-mile-and-a-half.
While the big National Hunt trainers will doubtless be on the horse who races, like the entire Kennedy string, in the colours of his wife Emma, the breeder is keen not to pigeon-hole the Awtaad (Ire) gelding as a jumping prospect.
“He's got something about him,” Kennedy said. “If he was mine, I'd keep him on the Flat but I've no doubt that some of the jumping men will be interested in him as well. He could do either job.”
A native of Tipperary, Kennedy spent 17 years in finance, which may explain the commercial aspect to his endeavors as an owner-breeder. He keeps 24 mares in partnership with investor John Wall at his farm in Cashel with an emphasis on producing the more stoutly-bred runners.
To that extent, Kennedy is something of a rare breed. Even rarer still is the amount of success he has enjoyed from that relatively small broodmare band.
Dermot Weld's 2010 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Bethrah (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) is a graduate from the farm as is Aidan O'Brien's 2013 Irish Oaks runner-up Venus De Milo (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}).
It's very much quality over quantity at Stanley Lodge Stud, managed by Nick Cope, and while Kennedy does not have anything remaining from Bethrah's family, he does have a full-sister to Venus De Milo who is more than pulling her weight.
He explained, “We try to produce really nice Flat horses. We are not as interested in producing the earlier type of horses. I've been very fortunate to breed a Classic winner and a Classic-placed filly. If Ethical Diamond was a filly, I wouldn't dream of selling him but, because he's a gelding, he's in the sales.
“I've raced a few fillies over the past few years and they have done well for us. We've had Noble Music (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), Best On Stage (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}) and Foxtrot Liv (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), so we keep some of those fillies. We have to be commercial, too, and if the right offer is made, we'll listen. But generally, if I have a nice middle-distance filly, I'm inclined to try and hold onto her.”
On his commercial approach to the operation, he added, “I can't put it in the leisure-only category just yet. I wish I could! If we were rich enough for that, it would be great, but the whole thing has to wash its face.
“Over the past few years, we weeded out some of the mares who weren't cutting it and brought in some new ones, so we're up to 24 mares between myself and my business partner John Wall. We try to keep the quality up as best we can.”
Kennedy owns Pearl Diamond (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), the dam of Ethical Diamond, outright himself. She wasn't deemed good enough to be put in partnership with Wall and, after Ethical Diamond-the third of her three foals-arrived, a decision was made to press pause.
He explained, “Pearl Diamond has nothing else on the ground. Her first foal was by Dandy Man (Ire) but didn't turn out to be much good and the Fast Company (Ire) filly [Actually (Ire)] showed ability with Mick Mulvany.
“But sometimes, with these little projects of my own, I like to take a few foals off the mares and see how they go and then leave the mare quiet for a couple of seasons. That way, if she earns it, she gets a nice cover. If not, we move them on.”
Pearl Diamond has certainly earned that cover.
“It's looking that way now,” Kennedy replies. “We'll see how this fella gets on but I wouldn't be averse to going back to Awtaad because he definitely gets you a nice horse with the right ground. There is a lot of quality in them and, from the stock that we have produced by Awtaad, I like them.”
The Kennedy colours have been carried by plenty of nice fillies in recent seasons. Best On Stage did well for Paddy Twomey while Noble Music is the most successful mare that the family had in training in France with Jerome Reynier.
There isn't much fat on this operation. Every part of the outfit plays an important role, right down to the handful of handicappers that are kept in training with O'Meara.
Kennedy said, “We have a pre-training facility for the yearlings who don't sell and there's a few handicappers there as well to bring the younger horses along. We run the handicappers and Micahel has been doing a very good job for us.
“Michael and I were in school together, he was in class with my brother, so I have known him for a long time. He pre-trained Foxtrot Liv before she went to Paddy Twomey and he did the same thing for Raven's Cry (Ire) (Raven's Pass).
“I felt that Michael deserved a chance with a couple of the older handicappers to basically have those at home. They do two jobs; one, they bring on the younger guns and two, they give us all a bit of amusement at home. Take for example Bobby K, he's named after our little boy. When it came to naming the horse, our little boy wasn't well at the time, so we called the horse after him and it has given him an interest in the horse. He's a pet and will be around the farm for as long as he wants to be here. Myself and Emma have three kids.”
The expectation is that Ethical Diamond, who commanded wildcard status after his taking Limerick performance, will earn Kennedy's operation a pretty penny and help sustain the production of the high-class middle-distance fillies he so craves.
But make no mistake, it is not just Kennedy who will get a great kick out of next week's sale, as he has built up a huge team of people that have helped make all this possible.
“I'd love to tell you it's a massively profitable business and that everyone should be doing it but I can't. We try to run it lean and tight and, as we are producing the seven-furlong plus type of horses, we can do a lot of the work at home with them and there is no rush to be sending them off to the trainers before they have to.”
He added, “Nick Cope runs Stanley Lodge Stud and is very forward-thinking. He's one of the younger crew and is definitely well-connected in that area and has a very good eye for a horse. “To be fair, we've a very good team in Cashel as well. That's where we have the breeding stock.
Michael has built up a nice team and has some excellent riders, too. Jamie-Lee Gonet is an apprentice jockey based with Micahel and she gets plenty of opportunities there as well.
“I must say, Billy Lee has been a major help to us. He rode Ethical Diamond as a two-year-old and told us that he had plenty of ability but to be patient and to give him time. He was dead right and hopefully the horse goes on to sell well next week.”
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