An early birthday present for Adrian Nicoll as Justina rules at Roscommon

The 'king of the ring' Adrian Nicoll received an early birthday present as Justina, a Jessica Harrington-trained two-year-old filly owned in partnership by Sir Peter Vela and Nicoll's wife Yvonne, ran out a determined winner at Roscommon on debut on Monday, the eve of the internationally respected bloodstock agent turning 70.

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was unsold at just €14,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale last season, and she was sent off at 16-1 for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF two-year-old maiden over seven furlongs, seemingly her stable's second string.

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But Justina gave both bidders and bettors cause to regret underestimating her as she recorded a half-length victory over the more experienced odds-on favourite Potala Palace, a Joseph O'Brien-trained son of Dansili, despite showing greenness and wandering within the final furlong.

She was bred by a partnership of Vela, Jeremy Gompertz and the Nicolls' Richmond Bloodstock out of the Makfi mare Mary McPhee, a six furlong winner at two and a half-sister to Firth of Clyde Stakes runner-up Mary's Daughter. Mary McPhee is in turn out of Aunty Mary, a winning Common Grounds half-sister to none other than that great champion Attraction.

A small sting in the tail for connections is that after failing to sell Justina as a yearling – which might prove to be a blessing in disguise – they sold Mary McPhee in foal to Bated Breath for just €26,000 at Goffs in November. York Stutteri in Denmark were the buyers, and they welcomed a filly out of the mare in February.

Justina: the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was unsold as a yearlingCredit: Patrick McCann

Intriguingly, Justina is the second promising two-year-old scorer in recent weeks out of a mare by Makfi – the pair being the first two winners in Britain and Ireland to claim the 2,000 Guineas hero as damsire. The first was Positive, a Dutch Art colt who stormed to a five-length success at Salisbury for Clive Cox last month.

Adrian Nicoll is in his 50th year of working at the storied BBA Ireland bloodstock agency and he has been responsible for the purchases of numerous Group/Grade 1 celebrities – Alexander Goldrun, Dark Angel, Gallic League, Hula Angel, Just The Judge, Kooyonga, Red Clubs and Sutton Place to name just a few.

He has also made a significant impact in Australia, helping arrange with Coolmore for Mount Hagen to shuttle down under in the late 1970s as a pioneer in a now commonly travelled route between the two continents for stallions. Nicoll also bought the multiple Australian Group 1 winner Serenade Rose, a daughter of Stravinsky.

Nicoll's fingerprints continue to appear over winners of the top races. He bought Cabaret, the dam of Magna Grecia, on behalf of the 2,000 Guineas winner's breeder Bob Scarborough, and Trethias, an Invincible Spirit filly owned by Stonethorn Stud Farms who heads to the Irish Oaks with a live chance after a comfortable score in the Naas Oaks Trial last month.

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