Young Pinhooker Nick Cope Reflects On ‘Life-Changing’ Pinhook Result

[Wandering Eyes]

Young pinhooker and manager of Stanley Lodge Stud Nick Cope reflects on one of the best sales results of 2025, Ethical Diamond's Breeders' Cup triumph and more

What is it about this great game of ours that it can turn the hardiest of fellas into mush? In Nick Cope's defence, profiting the price of a small house in one fell swoop would bring a tear to the most seasoned pinhooker's eye, not least this young whipper-snapper making his way in the game. 

The part-time pinhooker and full-time manager of William Kennedy's Stanley Lodge Stud – producers of the brilliant Breeders' Cup hero Ethical Diamond – enjoyed that emotional success alongside the Brickley brothers – Tom and David – of Ard Erin Stud when selling a Camelot colt that they sourced for 80,000gns as a foal for a cool 475,000gns at last year's Book 2 session at the October Yearling Sale. 

This is the sort of result that provides so many with that ability to dream. Yes, this pinhooking business has the potential to leave some of the brightest minds pining for a nine-to-five when it goes wrong. But when it goes right? Grown men can turn into blubbering messes. 

“It was in the heat of battle when I described selling the Camelot as a life-changing result and it really was,” Cope recalls. “I was very lucky to make money on a few pinhooks down through the years but that was the first time I walked out of the ring and struggled to believe what had actually just happened. It was the first proper touch for me.”

The Camelot colt was sourced by Alex Elliott on behalf of Coolmore with Anthony Stroud filling the role as underbidder. Two proper judges went toe-to-toe in the ring to further endorse what Cope and co had brought to the market. But, then again, is it any surprise given the calibre of people that Cope has cut his teeth with?

“I have been very lucky with some of the people I have worked for in this game,” he said. “Like, my first ever job was with James Hanly at Ballyhimikin Stud. Between James, Helen and Frisk [Jones, stud managers], they were really starting to get going at the pinhooking when I first joined them. I can remember they paid around 30,000gns for a Dark Angel foal and turned it into 200,000gns the following year and I was thinking to myself, 'Jesus, how is that even possible?' Then I went over to Gerry Dilger at Dromoland Farm in America before spending time with Paul McCartan, who is arguably the best of them all. I did the Irish National Stud course in between all of that but, definitely, I was lucky to work for three people who made the pinhooking game look easy. It's when you go away and work a sales complex like Goffs or Tattersalls by yourself, and when it's completely down to you to look at between 500 and 1,000 foals before picking out the two or three foals you can actually bid on, that you realise how difficult it is. There is so much that has to go right for you to turn a profit on the other side so, while I had great advice and mentors, I found it a very different prospect going out and doing it myself.”

He added, “Everyone has to start somewhere and I suppose there was an element of me being spoiled in going around and looking at the caliber of foals that I was looking at with James, Gerry and Paul. They were buying the best foals and, when you get used to zoning in on those types of foals, it can be hard to come down a level and tune into chancier foals or foals that were maybe by puntier stallions. There had to be a bit of a refocus there.”

Yet, the Camelot didn't take much explaining. Not only was the colt by a stallion that continuously comes up with the goods, but he is also out of the Listed-winning Clodovil mare, Tigrilla, who hails from a good Cheveley Park family.

Cope said, “Camelot had just enjoyed a year of all years with Bluestocking winning the Arc and Los Angeles winning the Irish Derby. It was very easy to say we're going to go and buy a Camelot. It's actually funny, because I remember that there were two nice Camelot foals that we followed in that day at Tattersalls. There was an absolute ripper of a colt who made 650,000gns and then we bought our lad for 80,000gns. We just thanked God that our lad fell within our range on the day. We couldn't believe it, really, and we were delighted to have him.”

On reoffering the colt at Book 2, he added, “From early doors, we knew we were in business. We had two in the draft – a nice Minzaal colt as well as this fella – and the same faces kept coming back for both horses. The Camelot kept catching people's eye all the time. Even if there was a show going on across the way, the Camelot would come waltzing by and catch everyone's attention – he is just one of those horses that has presence and a bit of swagger about him. I haven't been fortunate enough to sell a horse that has gone on to win any big races as of yet, and hopefully that day will come, but, in terms of results in the ring, selling him for 475,000gns was definitely my best result in the game. I'd say you can't beat the thrill of producing a big winner but, falling short of that, the sales ring is up there and what we did with this fella was just pure magic.”

The magic didn't leave Cope after Book 2. It was just four weeks later when Ethical Diamond, by far the most famous horse that his main employer Stanley Lodge Stud had bred, produced a stunning last-to-first performance to swoop to Breeders' Cup glory.

Cope recalled, “William had been in touch with Willie [Mullins, Ethical Diamond's trainer] all along, trying to figure out where the horse was going to go. This Breeders' Cup idea was put forward and I was thinking to myself, 'would they not just go away somewhere and get us some simple black-type for the mare?' Ethical Diamond had been very good to us even before the Breeders' Cup – he'd won at Royal Ascot and won an Ebor and, if he went and got some black-type somewhere, it was basically job done for the mare. But the Breeders' Cup? For Willie to be brave enough to go over there in the first place, and then for the horse to deliver, it was just something else. A lot of credit must go to David Casey, who I understand was instrumental in picking the spot for Ethical Diamond.”

He added, “That provided us with the update of all updates going into the November Foal Sale at Goffs with his little brother [who sold for €380,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle] and he didn't disappoint. He is an absolute ripper and would have stood up in any draft at any sale all over the world. If you told me that he was by anything, I'd have believed you. We try to pencil our foals into a slot where they would stand out and we were wondering was he the top end of day two or was he a day three foal for Goffs but he just kept on improving and he answered that question for us. He left us with no choice but to put him into the Wednesday session and, even without Ethical Diamond, I think he would have held his own and made a very good price.” 

Ethical Diamond | Shamela Hanley/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup

Ethical Diamond is the latest star performer to throw the spotlight onto his sire, the Irish 2,000 Guineas-winning Awtaad, who many breeders have long been crowing about being a value option at Derrinstown Stud. Kennedy is one such breeder, given he has supported the son of Cape Cross with at least one mare every season. This year, however, Ethical Diamond's dam, Pearl Diamond (Areion), who is in foal to Australia, is penciled into visit Night Of Thunder for her next cover. 

As for Cope, he may have earned the price of a nice dwelling near Stanley Lodge in County Tipperary but, in true spirit of the pinhooking game, has reinvested strongly alongside his partners into the foal market.

He said, “We signed for six foals – up from three in 2024 – last year. We pushed the boat out on a Shaquille colt at 92,000gns and, overall, very happy with what we got. You're obviously hoping that there could be a result like the Camelot lurking in there but, the foals we landed on, they seemed to be by the first-season stallions. The way the catalogues went last year, it didn't feel as though there was the same offering of foals by proven stallions compared to previous years. I don't think the standard of foal dropped by any means but there definitely seemed to be a lack of foals by proven stallions on offer. But, as I said, we've reinvested in six – by Gleneagles, Twilight Son, Chaldean, Mostahdaf and Palace Pier along with the Shaquille – and hopefully we can be lucky again.”

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