BY the end of Royal Ascot one first season sire had established a massive lead among his cohorts, with two pattern winners and a listed scorer to his name.

It was only a matter of time before the first of his rivals would mount a serious challenge, and although Zoffany (by Dansili) is still on top, his fellow Coolmore team member Canford Cliffs (by Tagula) is the one who has made that leap forward.

He was a runaway winner of the Group 2 Coventry Stakes as a juvenile, went on to become a classic-winning four-times Group 1 star over a mile, and he got two pattern-winning juveniles at the Curragh last week.

The David Wachman-trained filly Most Beautiful won the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes last Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt Painted Cliffs took the Group 2 Railway Stakes.

The latter, who was bred by Lisieux Stud, won his prize by two and three-quarter lengths and his entries include next month’s Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes.

Should he succeed at the highest level then he will not be the only horse in his family to achieve such a feat, and it would all but guarantee that a good berth at stud awaits him upon completion of his racing career.

The best of his immediate relations got that chance, spending five years at Coolmore, and although he did not live up to expectations it is fair to say that the now India-based stallion Excellent Art (by Pivotal) has sired some talented progeny.

He can also be described as being either a half- or three-parts brother to Lulawin (by Kyllachy), the dam of Painted Cliffs.

She was unraced, her dam Obsessive (by Seeking The Gold) was third in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes, and her brother won the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes before being placed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The previous year he won the Listed National Stakes and Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes, and he was placed in both the Group 1 Prix Morny and Group 2 Railway Stakes.

In addition to Obsessive, there are two other stakes-placed horses under the third dam and she, Secret Obsession (by Secretariat), was a half-sister to the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes winner Beyton (by Alleged).

Those are the highlights of the first four generations but the fifth dam is the stakes winner Miss Carmie (by T.V. Lark) and she was both the dam of the US champion Chris Evert (by Swoon’s Son) and ancestor of the standout pair Chief’s Crown (by Danzig) and Winning Colors (by Caro).

Painted Cliffs has a long way to go yet to match the exploits of his most famous relations, but he has made a promising start to his career as well as being a fine advertisement for his young sire’s potential.