'We're grateful for the support from breeders' - Marie's Diamond has first mares scanned in foal

Diamond Stud Bellewstown has announced that their new sire Marie’s Diamond has had his first mares scanned in foal. 

The precocious son of Footstepsinthesand won on his debut in the April of his two-year-old season and was a winner of the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes on the Curragh in a record time, flanked by two seconds in Group 2 company in the Railway Stakes and Richmond Stakes. He was also fourth in the Group 1 Middle Park at two. 

He is the fastest Irish-bred ever to run up Newmarket’s mile track on the Rowley Mile course, achieving that feat when winning the Listed Paradise Stakes at four, a performance he followed up with a Group 1 third-place finish in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot just 11 days later.

His first in-foal mares include black-type producer Grain De Beaute, a Lawman sister to Beyond Desire, dam of Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint third Starlust, and Ilulisset, a Rock Of Gibraltar sister to four black-type horses and from the further family of European champion Pentire.

The stud's Ciarán De Barra said  “We’re delighted with how Marie’s Diamond has been received, he’s obviously a very good-looking horse, who had an exceptional racing career and breeders have been taken with him.  

"We’re being supported by some great breeders who are brave enough to support a new independent outfit like ours and we’re very grateful for that.”

Diamond Stud Bellewstown has also offered a €25,000 Diamond Breeders’ Bonus fund for the breeder of Marie’s Diamond’s first juvenile winner and Group winner in Ireland or Britain. 

The tough and classy son of Footstepsinthesand is standing his first season at a price of €6,000.

Read this next:

French domination set to continue while a classy broodmare could hold sway