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Canford Cliffs had his biggest winner as a stallion today when Painted Cliffs won the Railway Stakes for Ballydoyle. Am I wrong to suggest that Coolmore’s next 30 years as a breeding operation could be majorly influenced by whether Canford Cliffs succeeds as a stallion?
Take a look at Coolmore Ireland’s stallions standing at a fee of £15,000 or more at the moment. Apart from No Nay Never, who won’t be a permanent resident and won’t have much influence over middle distances, all of them contain the blood of Danehill, Galileo or Montjeu. That is to say nothing of Coolmore’s band of broodmares, who are deeply inbred with combinations of those three important stallions.
Canford Cliffs (by Tagula, out of a Marju mare) could be the future of Coolmore’s operation. He does have Northern Dancer in his blood (who doesn’t nowadays?) but he appeals as the perfect outcross to practically all of Coolmore’s broodmare band. The only question is whether Canford Cliffs will be a good enough stallion to make those fresh genes worth utilising. Let’s hope so for the future of the breed, as any chance to slow the rampant inbreeding in the thoroughbred industry must be taken.
Canford Cliffs does need to prove himself in the next two seasons. Although his precocious speed, progression and enduring talent will appeal to breeders, his unfashionable pedigree will not. There is also the worry that Canford Cliffs himself was not a particularly sound horse, with a season-ending injury at two and career-ending injury at four on his record.
The win of Painted Cliffs was a good start, but he needs to keep producing to be given the quality and quantity of homebred mares that the likes of Galileo enjoy. Coolmore are harsh judges of their stallions. They sold Hawk Wing to Korea despite a decent winners/runners ratio, as he tended to pass on his iffy temperament. Duke Of Marmalade wasn’t commercial enough and was shipped out – Oratorio, Haradasun, Excellent Art and Hurricane Run too. Even some of their greats don’t get near the in-house top totty any more, notably Rock Of Gibraltar who seems to be ‘commercial-only’ at a bargain fee of £12,500. The so-so Eagle Mountain is his highest-rated offspring to date.
If you don’t want the breed to get weaker, you have got to root for Canford Cliffs’ progeny on the track. Let’s hope he keeps firing them in and gets the likes of Peeping Fawn, You’resothrilling and co queuing up at his stable door!
Can’t be arsed reading all that about a flat horse, but a guy called Nathan has a T Shirt with this nag’s image on it so must be relevant to some
Excellent post TYF.
He is an unfashionable stallion looking at his own breeding but like you point out that in itself could become the success of him. He was a freak in the sense Tagula didn’t produce anything of sorts until CC burst onto the scene, he was the last horse that Hannon sold as a yearling such was his breeding.
I think he also missed out on the QE11 as his intended target as a three year old but I cant remember if it was anything injury wise or they just put him away for the year, will have to get the scrapbook down from the lock up and check.
I love the thread title and expect the Frankel fans to jump in some time soon…..
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Excellent, forward thinking, post.
Well worth the read.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Not sure about Canford Cliffs but another sire you mention, Rock Of Gibraltar, has a son in training with Richard Hannon. Named Tony Curtis, he is entered up over 7f at Sandown next week.
Hard to say how he will pan out but it’s rumoured he will act on anything and they haven’t had to use the Persuader on him yet. It would be ironic if Moore was riding him, it certainly might invoke memories of rumours regarding antics in a caravan at TV shoots in the 70’s
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
There’s no particular reason to suppose that Canford Cliffs will do especially well compared to other young Coolmore stallions, where Zoffany has made a really promising start this year with his first crop.
As for the next 30 years, maybe Australia or Ruler Of The World will be the next Galileo, who knows?
Will No Nay Never be an influence over middle distances? Probably not, and his fee is ridiculous, but plenty of sprinters have sired top class middle distance horses, Mr Prospector, Danehill and Pivotal in recent times, of course going back in time you’ve got Phalaris. Until a stallion has got a couple of crops racing, you can’t be sure of anything.
In any event, at least 80% of stallions disappoint, so perhaps they’ll all be useless!
You say “There is also the worry that Canford Cliffs himself was not a particularly sound horse….”, but then, “If you don’t want the breed to get weaker, you have got to root for Canford Cliffs’ progeny on the track….”.
You say that Rock of Gibraltar is a commercial “bargain” at £12,500. Doesn’t look particularly cheap to me. What does that make a real commercial stallion like Compton Place, currently at £5,500?
I wouldn’t worry too much about inbreeding, the racecourse test will sort that out.
For sure, there is a real worry that Canford Cliffs will pass on his poor constitution and be a poor stallion. Coolmore will test him out in the next few years and ship him out if he does have his flaws. I’m just rooting for him to be a success in producing fundamentally sound horses, because responsible breeding with fresh bloodlines is a very good thing for the sport. If it is not to be, then c’est la vie, but this horse has potential to have a serious influence on the breed.
The endless churn of Galileo/Danehill/Montjeu bloodlines is bad. A horse’s career expectation (by number of races) is getting shorter by the generation, with fatal breakdowns, training injuries and two-year-old wastage all worsening at a horrifying rate.
I think Rock Of Gibraltar is a good price at £12,500. He doesn’t get the opportunities of Galileo or Fastnet Rock nowadays, but the exploits of Society Rock, Prince Gibraltar and Varenar show he is still a versatile producer. You also get longevity, toughness and horses without crippling ground dependencies from him. There might be better options away from Coolmore, but versus the likes of Rip Van Winkle (£25,000), Camelot (£25,000) or Ruler Of The World (£15,000), the Rock would get action from my mares.
Not sure about Canford Cliffs but another sire you mention, Rock Of Gibraltar, has a son in training with Richard Hannon. Named Tony Curtis, he is entered up over 7f at Sandown next week.
Not sure they will run Tony Curtis next week now Stevie. With the heatwave coming they may decide to hold back. Though you never know……Some Like It Hot.
Excellent post by the way TYF. I am rooting for CC as well. He was a wonderful miler and ran into a freak giving him 8lbs!!! Like with Zoffany, it is a promising start.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
I think Australia may be the next Galileo – I predict he will do better at stud than Frankel.
Australia on the racecourse did exactly what he was bred to do, the same as his sire did.
Bred to be quality at 1m 4f – and was.
Frankel is more of a breeding freak and, although a far better racehorse, I have my doubts about how well he will do at stud.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I think Australia may be the next Galileo – I predict he will do better at stud than Frankel.
Australia on the racecourse did exactly what he was bred to do, the same as his sire did.
Bred to be quality at 1m 4f – and was.
Frankel is more of a breeding freak and, although a far better racecourse, I have my doubts about how well he will do at stud.
Happy to take you on there Ian. I think Frankel’s progeny will change the landscape of racing……
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
It’s opinions that make the game. Mr Jonibake – but that whole line Sadlers Wells>Galileo>Australia – they all on a racecourse did EXACTLY what they were bred to do. The first two went on to be stallion icons and I reckon Australia is next.
Frankel could have given all of them a stone and a beating on the track but, while hardly badly bred, that whole by 1m 4f out of 6f thing (with a bit of temperament in the family too) makes me wonder.
We shall see. =D
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"We really do need some outcrosses to the whole Northern Dancer saturation. The problem is who will use him?
When Sir Percy won the Derby I thought he would be good to off set all the Galileo/Montjeu/Danehills, but of course he hasn’t been popular.
A horse had a catastrophic break down last week….he has six crosses of Northern Dancer in the first six removes of his pedigree. If qualify were to visit Frankel her foal would be 2X3 to Galileo and 3X3 to Danehill with an additional 3 lines to Northern Dancer. I just picked her randomly as she won this years Oaks. This is not a good state of affairs. Too large books, greedy breeding organisations not thinking of the long term future.I too think Australia will be a top stallion but feel Gleneagles will top him. He looks a monster but seems to float when he runs. As the fad is for 8to 10f champions the gleneagles looks like the future with Australia more likely to produce the Derby types. As was said it depends who gets the top mares but with David watchman seemingly training top fillies and Aiden Obrien with quite a few class fillies then coolmore as far as breeding goes are having a top season. Not too many champion horses(apart from gleneagles) but the new stallions are doing terrific and the likes of rip van winkle are doing very well too.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>stevecaution wrote:</div>
Not sure about Canford Cliffs but another sire you mention, Rock Of Gibraltar, has a son in training with Richard Hannon. Named Tony Curtis, he is entered up over 7f at Sandown next week.Not sure they will run Tony Curtis next week now Stevie. With the heatwave coming they may decide to hold back. Though you never know……Some Like It Hot.
Would I give this forum a bum steer?
Epsom yesterday:-
18:50 1st 5 Tony Curtis(Cameron Hardie, 9/2)
2nd1 Daleelak(Dane O’Neill, 9/4 2nd-fav)
7 ranThe Sweet Smell Of Success
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
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