FRESHMAN sire Zoffany shone at Royal Ascot, with three winners – Washington DC, Waterloo Bridge and Illuminate – from just five runners.

Canford Cliffs hit back at the Curragh last weekend, however, with Painted Cliffs winning the Group 2 Railway Stakes and Most Beautiful landing the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes. Zoffany is about £90,000 ahead of his fellow Coolmore stallion in terms of total prize money won this season, but Canford Cliffs is about the same amount clear of the Rathbarry stallion Lilbourne Lad in third, and the battle for top first-season sire could be developing into a match already.

As well as his three Royal Ascot winners, Zoffany also has listed race winner and Railway Stakes fourth Argentero and Stamp Hill, who ran better than his finishing position suggests in the Windsor Castle, while Canford Cliffs also has Hilary Needler fourth Holy Grail, as well as progressive-looking fillies Bournemouth Belle and Aneesah.

And there will be others who will emerge, you can be assured. It will be interesting to watch this one as the season continues.