Diamond Stud, Bellewstown

In the undulating countryside of Co Meath, in a valley below the famous Hill of Crockafatha, Connemara man Ciarán De Barra is eagerly awaiting the chance next weekend to give Irish breeders their first glance of his first season stallion, Marie’s Diamond. Ciarán recently opened his own stud in Bellewstown and, in a nod to his first stallion, he has christened the farm Diamond Stud.

Ciarán has extensive experience in the thoroughbred breeding industry, including a long standing association with the Irish National Stud, where he spent half a decade learning his trade.

A graduate of the INS Thoroughbred Breeding Course, Ciarán was the inaugural O’Reilly Business Intern (now renamed the Jonathan Fitzpatrick Internship) where he worked closely with CEO John Osborne in what was a varied role. He was involved in all elements of the INS, such as launching the INS Breeding and Racing Club and assisting in the running of the Breeding course, while also being heavily involved with all the practical aspects of studwork.

In tandem with this commitment, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to independently procure mares, often from international sources. Ciarán managed to source the top-priced filly in the Tattersalls July Sale of 2015.

As the operation scaled up, the idea of starting his own stud farm became the next logical step for the Galway man. He spent a considerable amount of time looking for a suitable stallion and, in Marie’s Diamond, he thinks he has found just the horse. “I needed a horse that I genuinely believed in and he was the one,” Ciarán told us.

Winning seven times

Marie’s Diamond was trained by Mark Johnston, winning seven times over five to eight furlongs. As a juvenile he won the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes, and placed second in both the Group 2 Railway Stakes and the Group 2 Richmond Stakes. As a four-year-old, he was third in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. He has won or placed in more stakes races (21) than any other stallion in the stud book.

By Footstepsinthesand and from an esteemed Aga Khan family, Marie’s Diamond is out of Sindiyma, whose six foals are all winners, including Australian Group 1 miler Sikandarabad. Being completely free of Sadler’s Wells, Danzig and Acclamation bloodlines makes him suitable for a wide range of mares.

Marie’s Diamond is credited with having a great walk and a passive temperament. Having stayed sound through six seasons - with an average of 11 starts per season - he is clearly a resilient athlete with “a lovely, honest and willing attitude”.

Ciarán took Marie’s Diamond over to Crockfords Stud in Newmarket in December, to promote the horse to breeders during the sales. He was encouraged by the positive feedback and engagement from all those that saw the horse. Ciarán is confident that the ITM Irish Stallion Trail will provide Marie’s Diamond with “a fantastic opportunity to get into the shop window” and that breeders will be impressed.

Operating as a small breeder for the past 10 years himself, Ciarán says he is “more than happy to help and support small breeders in whatever way I can.”