DIAMOND DAZZLER?

Rosemont Stud stunner blitzes in Valley debut

GNARWARRE’S Rosemont Stud team can now dare to dream about the rich Blue Diamond Stakes after unveiling stunning two-year-old Brooklyn Hustle at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The daughter of stallion Starspangledbanner blew her opponents away on debut, coming from last to win with ease over the 1000m trip and bank $90,000 in prizemoney, effectively booking herself a ticket into February’s $1.5 million Group 1 for Mornington trainer Jason Warren.

The success comes on the back of an unforgettable spring carnival for Rosemont Stud, which included a Geelong Cup win and Melbourne Cup run for Runaway, back-to-back wins for miler Iconoclasm and a brilliant prep by three-year-old filly Thrillster — another daughter of Starspangledbanner.

“We haven’t really had many twoyear-olds ever, so to roll on from the Melbourne Cup to now starting to live the dream for the Blue Diamond, it’s a bit of a dream come true,” Rosemont Stud operations manager Gerard Jones said.

“We’re riding a high wave at the moment. It was a bit of a heart-in-themouth sort of race for us.

“We were certainly excited and when she missed the start there a bit, we thought it was all over, but she lived up to what Jason told us, that she was pretty good. The first day that Jason put a saddle on her, he let us know that she’s above the grade.

“He was really excited and that was just the first day he had her.”

Rosemont Stud principal Anthony Mithen was watching from Newmarket in the UK as he explores the bloodstock markets for broodmares and it was seven years this week since he came across the mare Joint Aspiration at the Arqana sales in Deauville, France.

Limited success in the breeding barn meant Rosemont Stud tried to sell Joint Aspiration six months ago, but the team failed to “get the money we wanted”.

But now she’s got a daughter in Brooklyn Hustle that has the poten- tial to be a two-year-old champion.

The precocious filly herself should have been sold as a yearling, but never made it to the sales due to a paddock incident, leaving her in Rosemont Stud’s ownership.

“Anyone that goes up and sees her, there’s a massive hole in her neck,” Jones said.

“They were just letting the foals out of the yard and she managed to clip a side of the gate where there was a bit sticking out and ripped a massive hole in her neck.

“After a lot of surgery, she came good, but that was pretty much the reason she didn’t go to the sales, because she had a massive hole in her neck.”

Jones said having a Blue Diamond Stakes runner would give the team just as big a thrill as when Runaway ran in last month’s Melbourne Cup.

“I think we’ll be just as excited,” he said.

“Both are home-bred hors- es, so it shows you what the Geelong area can produce.”

Brooklyn Hustle (pictured) will spend the next two weeks at Rosemont Stud’s spelling farm in Ceres, before she’s brought back for a lead-up run ahead of the Blue Diamond on February 23.

Meanwhile, Miss Toorak Flyer took her record to four wins from nine starts with a classy last-to-first win at Cranbourne on Friday night.

“She goes to a $60,000 race at Doomben and then onto the Magic Millions,” Jones said.

“It’s exciting, our first ever runner Magic Millions day will be good.”