Promising jumps sire Diamond Boy recruited to Kilbarry Lodge Stud

The Irish National Hunt stallion ranks have a new member in the shape of Diamond Boy, who has been purchased by Con O'Keeffe to stand at his Kilbarry Lodge Stud in County Waterford.

The 11-year-old son of brilliant jumps sire Mansonnien had been standing at Haras de la Croix Sonnet in France.

Diamond Boy was trained by Francois Doumen and achieved a decent level of form on the Flat, winning the Listed Prix Scaramouche over 1m6f at Saint-Cloud and running Melbourne Cup hero Americain to a length when second in the Listed Prix de Reux at Deauville over an extended 1m4f.

A brother to Willie Mullins' three-time Grade 1-winning chaser Golden Silver, his oldest crop are four-year-olds and his best representatives are useful hurdler Le Precieux, Grade 3 AQPS bumper winner Dont Hesitate and Grade 3-placed chaser Viola St Goustan.

O'Keeffe said: “We made enquiries about this time last year but it only became possible to acquire him this year.

“He's a big, good-looking horse bred along different bloodlines to what we have in Ireland at the moment. He's getting great stock which are commanding strong prices in the sales ring.’'

A three-year-old store by Diamond Boy sold to Mouse Morris for £100,000 at the Goffs UK Spring Stores Sale in May and another gelding of that age was knocked down to Bobby O'Ryan and Eugene O'Sullivan for €70,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale a month later.