CANFORD Cliffs was considered by Richard Hannon to be the best horse that he ever trained. He was a Royal Ascot winner in each of his three seasons in training and the champion older miler in the world in 2011. He won five Group 1 events over that distance, including the Irish 2000 Guineas, and he was never out of the first three in any of his 11 starts.

Now Canford Cliffs is standing his fourth season at Coolmore at a very reasonable fee. He had over 120 live foals from his first crop born in 2013 and many of those were sold as yearlings last autumn, averaging €61,569, which is nearly five times his stud fee.

There should be some formidable two-year-olds among them this season, as no less than 17 fetched prices of €100,000 or more, with a highest of 270,000 guineas paid at Newmarket by agent Amanda Skiffington for the colt out of Bright Sapphire. Canford Cliffs spent last autumn in Australia, where the mares that he covered included Helsinge, the dam of world champion Black Caviar.

Making headlines right from the start of his racing career, Canford Cliffs cantered home seven lengths clear on his two-year-old debut in a maiden race at Newbury in May, then went on to Royal Ascot to cruise home six lengths clear of Xtension in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes.

In his only other start that season Canford Cliffs was a close third to Arcano in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville, run in record time. Timeform assessed him as the joint second-best juvenile in Europe on 122.

That rating shot up to 131 the next season, when Canford Cliffs was the best three-year-old miler trained in Britain or Ireland in the World Rankings. He took a little while to find his top form, running second to his stablemate Dick Turpin in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes (with Arcano behind them) and a good third to Makfi in the Group 1 Newmarket 2000 Guineas, before travelling to the Curragh, where he was an impressive winner of the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas by three lengths. Starting next in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, Canford Cliffs turned the tables on Dick Turpin by a length, with Makfi behind them, and then he completed a Group 1 hat-trick in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, getting the better of the previous year’s winner Rip Van Winkle after a tremendous battle.

BRILLIANT

Just as brilliant as a four-year-old, Canford Cliffs reappeared at Newbury in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes for another impressive victory ahead of Italian Derby winner Worthadd, then made it five consecutive Group 1 wins in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, again over a mile, defeating the brilliant French filly Goldikova.

The final racecourse appearance for Canford Cliffs came in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and this time he did find one just too good for him in the unbeaten Frankel, the only colt ever to beat him on whom he did not later take his revenge! In the World Rankings for 2011, Canford Cliffs was assessed as the world’s champion older miler on 127.

Canford Cliffs has a wonderful outcross pedigree, completely free of Sadler’s Wells and Danehill blood. He is the best son of the very speedy Tagula, winner of the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville and the Group 3 July Stakes at Newmarket. Tagula’s sire Taufan was by the top-class American sire Stop The Music, among whose 43 blacktype winners were champion Temperence Hill and Cure the Blues. Stop The Music was by Hail To Reason, sire also of Epsom Derby hero Roberto and twice leading US sire Halo.

Mrs Marsh, the dam of Canford Cliffs, was sold at the Newmarket December Sale for 850,000 guineas. This daughter of Marju never raced, but her first three foals have won 18 races and she is a half-sister to Triple Threat, who won the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam in 2013, and to American stakes winner Pina Colada.

The next dam, Drei, is by Lyphard out of Triple Tipple, who won the Grade 2 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park and ran second in the Grade 1 Gamely Handicap. The family traces to Celerina, winner of the Grand Prix de Deauville and third in the Prix de Diane, who became the dam of the 1943 Grand Prix de Paris star Pensbury.

CANFORD CLIFFS

(IRE)

Race record: World champion older miler in 2011, champion 3yo miler in 2010. Winner of seven races, £951,724, from 11 starts from 2 to 4 years, 6-8 furlongs, in England and Ireland, inc Irish 2000 Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, St James’s Palace Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.1, Sussex Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1, Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, Gr.1, Queen Anne Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.1, and Coventry Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.2; 2nd in Sussex Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1; 3rd in 2000 Guineas, Newmarket, Gr.1, and Prix Morny, Deauville, Gr.1.

Stud record: Retired to stud in 2012. His first crop are 2-year-olds in 2015.

Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Enquiries to 052 6131298, or visit www.coolmore.com.

Fee: €12,500 (October 1st)