Royal Ascot - Zoffany Great Value For Australian Breeders

The Australian racing debut of the first progeny by Coolmore shuttler Zoffany will be eagerly anticipated following the impact his first crop runners have made at Royal Ascot this week.

Illuminate (Zoffany x Queen Of Stars by Green Desert) won the G3 Albany Stakes on the fourth day to becoming the fourth first crop stakes winner by Zoffany and his third winner of the week at Royal Ascot.

The son of Dansili has served three seasons in Australia and will have his first locally-bred products racing next season. He is returning for his fourth season this spring on a fee of $8800, a sum breeders will view as a bargain in view of the success he is enjoying with his northern hemisphere two-year-olds.

The Richard Hannon-trained Illuminate, winer of her only previous start, joined Washington DC (Listed Windsor Castle Stakes) and Waterloo Bridge (G2 Norfolk Stakes) as Zoffany’s third Royal Ascot winner.

Zoffany has had five winners in the UK this week, Illuminate’s stablemate Spongy (Zoffany x Eminence Gift, by Cadeaux Genereux) winning at Leicester and the Kevin Ryan-trained Bint Aldar ( Zoffany x Maggie Lou, by Red Ransom) scoring at Hamilton.

Illuminate was bred by Epona Bloodstock and is expected to have her next start in the G2 Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket next month.

Hannon and Aidan O’Brien, who trains Washington DC and Waterloo Bridge, are great admirers of Zoffany, himself a G1 winner of the Phoenix Stakes as a 2YO.

“He’s obviously going to be a very good stallion,” Hannon said. “The only thing is I’m not sure we’re going to be able to afford them next year!”

Illuminate was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock at last year’s DBS Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale for £95,000.

Her unraced dam Queen Of Stars, a half-sister to the G3 winner Lady Catherine, has also produced the winners Rhal and Queen Of Haruka.