ALTHOUGH Requinto raced only as a two-year-old, his four victories from eight starts and a new track record at Goodwood were sufficient proof that he possessed exceptional speed and has fully deserved his chance as a stallion at Coolmore. He has strong claims to be the fastest son of his very successful sire Dansili, who was a champion miler and is regularly among the top sires of middle distance horses, with 18 Group 1 winners to his credit.

Coolmore stands several sons of Danehill but both Requinto and the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes star Zoffany are by his son Dansili, the champion older miler in Europe in 2000 and a brother of champion fillies Banks Hill and Intercontinental, both Breeders’ Cup heroines. Dansili has already sired 95 stakes winners, including the European champion Rail Link, who scored in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Grand Prix de Paris, Zambezi Sun and Flintshire, two more Grand Prix de Paris winners, and Harbinger, so impressive in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the world champion of 2010. The brilliant fillies Dank and The Fugue are also daughters of Dansili.

EARLY

Trained in Ireland by David Wachman, Requinto came to hand very early in 2011 and was third to Parish Hall on his debut in a Leopardstown maiden in April, then later that month he scored in another maiden at Cork very easily from Ishvana, who soon after won the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. Stepped up in class, Requinto then added the Listed Tipperary Stakes by three and a half lengths from the subsequent listed scorer An Ghalanta, again over five furlongs.

That success earned Requinto a trip to Glorious Goodwood, where he put in a storming finish in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes to beat the smart Burwaaz and 11 others by a length and a quarter in a new record time for a two-year-old over this five furlongs of 57.51 seconds.

A month later Requinto returned to England for the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and he led over a furlong out to score again from his old rival Burwaaz, with Caledonia Lady third and Lilbourne Lad fourth, again in a very fast time.

His final race was the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc Day, when he was the only two-year-old in a very strong field of older horses and put in an impressive performance to finish sixth of the 15 runners, only just over two lengths behind the winner Tangerine Trees and ahead of Group 1 sprinters Prohibit and Margot Did.

FIRST SEASON

Requinto covered 88 mares in 2013, his first season at Coolmore, and 17 of his sons and daughters were sold as foals last year at the excellent average of €30,276, more than seven times his modest stud fee. The highest price was €85,000 for a colt from Castletown Stud but every one of the 17 sold for more than Requinto’s stud fee.

Damson, the dam of Requinto and of two other winners, was the champion two-year-old filly in Ireland in 2004, when she won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. A daughter of the 2000 Guineas hero Entrepreneur, she is a half-sister to the Group 3 Prestige Stakes heroine Geminiani. Their dam Tadkiyra was bred by the Aga Khan and she is a half-sister to three group winners and two other listed scorers, as well as to the fourth dam of the Group 1 Prix Morny hero Arcano.

A century ago, The Tetrarch proved that a horse who had raced only as a two-year-old could become a very successful sire, a precedent that has been followed in recent years by Teofilo and Dark Angel. Maybe Requinto could follow in their footsteps.

REQUINTO (IRE)

Race record: Winner of four races and £98,429 in Ireland and England, from 8 starts at 2 years, all at 5 furlongs, inc Flying Childers Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.2, Molecomb Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3 (in record time), and Tipperary Stakes, Tipperary, L

Stud record: Retired to stud in Ireland in 2013. His first crop are yearlings in 2015

Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Enquiries to 52 6131298, or visit www.coolmore.com

Fee: €4,000