The Dennis brothers know a good horse when they see one.
After all, they have bred plenty of them over the years.
The Dimple, The Grin, The Phantom, The Fantasy, The Phantom Chance and The Jewel are just a few of the thoroughbreds from the brothers' paddocks to make their mark on the racing scene, both in New Zealand and abroad, in the past.
The Solitaire and The Glitzy One are no slugs in open company this season either.
But now The Diamond One could top them all.
The 4yr-old mare. out of dual group 1 winner The Jewel, made it five wins from just 11 starts when she downed the South Island's best milers in Saturday's group 3 White Robe Lodge at Wingatui, prompting the connections to get more than a little excited about her future.
Tony Dennis, who bred and races the mare along with brothers Pat, Joe and Martin, thinks the The Diamond One is something special.
''We rate her up with The Jewel,'' Dennis said yesterday. She's done pretty good - that's only her 11th start.
''We'll find out as we go, but she's obviously a very good horse. We've rated her for a long time.''
Right from her early preparations before the brothers sent her to Wingatui trainer Steven Anderton, The Diamond One has shone like a precious stone.
''As a 2yr-old she went shin sore, but we always predicted she'd be a good horse.''
Dennis said.
''For a Tale Of the Cat [product], she had an excellent temperament.''
El Chico, who put in a gallant performance carrying the top weight, also traces back to the brothers.
They bred El Chico's dam, Las Chicas Buenas, out of their Sound Reason mare, The Reason.
Anderton, who travelled back from Auckland on Saturday morning to watch the race, was thrilled to have his name as trainer next to a winner of the White Robe Lodge Handicap, although he palmed some of the praise off to his wife, Claire, and his father, Hec, who have looked after the mare while he has campaigned The Solitaire and The Diamond One in the North Island.
''It's a big buzz. It's the big race of the year, and it's good to finally do it,'' Anderton said.
''Claire and Dad have done a good job with her. We'll see how she pulls up then we'll make a decision on the race in three weeks' time at Otaki.
That race is the Otaki-Maori weight-for-age at group 1 level on February 22 in what will be The Diamond One's first litmus test at the highest open-class level.
''The boys are keen to have a go at the group 1 and it can probably give us a line on her if she heads to Brisbane. It's definitely a step up for her.''
Anderton applauded Chris Johnson's ride on the mare after he had some concerns about the wide draw of barrier 11.
''She jumped good and got a good position one off the fence,'' he said.
''We were a bit worried about being caught three-wide, but he got her in good and got her out at the right time.''