Stanley Lodge boss William Kennedy has described returning hero Ethical Diamond (Awtaad) leading a three-pronged attack on the Breeders' Cup for the stud as “unreal”, with fellow graduates Florida Bay (Mehmas) and Scommessa Sicura (Cracksman) limbering up for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf respectively. The Willie Mullins-trained Ethical Diamond is a general 16-1 chance to repeat last year's power-packed performance in the Breeders' Cup Turf and Kennedy has heaped praise on his Stanley Lodge team, headed by farm manager Nick Cope, for laying the foundations to what is shaping up to be a momentous weekend for the stud. “It's unreal, really,” Kennedy said. “For any breeder to have one horse running at the Breeders' Cup is a fantastic achievement. To have three is a real testament to the team at home on the farm.”Ethical Diamond was a generally unconsidered 28-1 chance in last year's race. This year, he arrives into the contest off the back of a Group 3 triumph on home soil at Leopardstown followed by a runner-up effort to Tiffany in a Grade 2 at Kentucky Downs. Still, Kennedy isn't daring to dream about the double. “Well, the man is a genius,” Kennedy simply said of Mullins' outstanding piece of placing last year. “What he pulled off last year – I think I sent him a text message afterwards to say he must have been touched by God. A lot of other people have benefited from Willie's maestro skills and, like me, they owe him a lot.”Kennedy added, “Look, I thought going into the race last year that he could finish fourth or fifth, just based on how well he had won the Ebor. I didn't think it was the strongest Breeders' Cup Turf that had ever been run last year, so I thought there was a chance he might run into a low place. But, to be fair to the horse, I think everything worked out for him. He got a lovely run, a fantastic ride, and he loved the ground and took off like a rocket.“Willie's probably pointed him in this direction all year. Hopefully he runs a good race. It's a tricky enough draw in stall one if you don't get a good jump, I'd say. But aside from that, I don't think Willie would put him on the plane and take him there unless he was in good shape. I'd be hopeful that, if he could run up to last year's form, he might finish in the first three or four. If you can get to that level at the Breeders' Cup, what more can you ask for?”Florida Bay and Scommessa Sicura could light the touchpaper for the weekend in their respective contests on Friday. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Florida Bay has gone from strength to strength this season and can be backed at odds of 20-1 in the Juvenile Turf while the Andrew Balding-trained Scommessa Sicura is as big as 33-1 for the fillies' race. On their chances, Kennedy said, “Florida Bay has really been a remarkable horse all year. On his last run, when fourth in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp, he ran to his highest rating [112] all season. That takes some doing for a horse having his seventh start of the year. He is tough, hardy and consistent, so you just never know. If he was in the first three or four, again, you'd have to be delighted. Scommessa Sicura is similarly tough and hardy. She runs to her level all the time and, if she puts her best foot forward, that would be great.”He added, “I'd love to tell you that I was really clever and I had this worked out years ago! The reality is that you are breeding horses for over 20 years and pick up a few tricks of the trade here and there. Breeding from mares that are hardy, and going down that route, has been the only way to go for us. Two of those horses are by what I would call workingmen's sires in Awtaad and Cracksman so it really is fantastic to see them perform at this level.”Win, lose or draw, being represented by not one, not two but three runners at the Breeders' Cup is a massive advertisement for what hardy and talented horses the Cashel-based farm continues to produce. And such an achievement is not lost on Kennedy. He said, “As a breeder, you hope to produce horses that are able to compete in good races and ones that are sound. For us, we have been very lucky since we started out – particularly over the past few years – and horses like Ethical Diamond are a fantastic advertisement for the farm. We couldn't be happier. Nick [Cope, farm manager] and the team do a great job – from handling them as foals, bringing them through, managing their feed programme and watching their joints, it's a massive team effort. My business partner John Wall is also getting a massive thrill out of it.”Kennedy concluded, “Pearl Diamond is in foal to Night Of Thunder. I think she is carrying a filly, which is massively exciting. She has an Australia filly that is going to the foal sales at Goffs and we're also looking forward to that. Riponette (Le Havre), the dam of Florida Bay, is in foal to Starman while Pure Art (Dutch Art), the dam of Scommessa Sicura, is in foal to Ghaiyyath, which we are very excited about. That will mean she is carrying a full sibling to Stanhope Gardens, who was a very smart horse and unfortunately we didn't get to see him achieve his full potential on the racecourse. We have 14 drafted for the November Foal Sales at Goffs. I'd imagine 12 of those will go there and, overall, I think we have a good, strong bunch. At the top end, there are three or four very nice prospects so this is always an exciting time of year.”The post “It’s Unreal” – Returning Hero Ethical Diamond Leads Three-Pronged Breeders’ Cup Assault For Stanley Lodge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.