Zoffany (Ire) (Dansili {GB}-Tyranny {GB}, by Machiavellian), a Group 1-winning racehorse and sire, has died aged 13 at Coolmore Stud due to liver failure.
“Zoffany was a great servant and he'll be a big loss,” said Coolmore's David O'Loughlin.
Bred by Epona Bloodstock, Zoffany was a 220,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling. He won on debut in April of his 2-year-old campaign and proved an honest and tough performer throughout the season, winning five of his six starts including the G3 Tyros S. and G1 Phoenix S. for the Coolmore partners and Aidan O'Brien before finishing third in the G1 National S. He became best known the next season as the horse to almost run down Frankel (GB) in the G1 St James's Palace S., running the unbeaten champion to three-quarters of a length before again finishing second in the G1 Prix Jean Prat.
In the mould of their sire, Zoffany's first crop was out of the gate fast as juveniles, and he was responsible for three juvenile stakes winners at Royal Ascot in 2013: Waterloo Bridge (Ire) in the G2 Norfolk S., Illuminate (Ire) in the G3 Albany S. and Washington DC (Ire) in the Listed Windsor Castle S. His first crop would also yield the G2 Royal Lodge S. scorer Foundation (Ire), and his first Group 1 winner, Ventura Storm (Ire), who took the G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and also won group races in France and Australia.
Zoffany has sired Group 1-winning juveniles the past two seasons, the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac victress Albigna (Ire) and last year's National S. winner Thunder Moon (Ire), while his other group-winning 2-year-olds in 2020 were the G3 Naas Juvenile Sprint S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Mother Earth (Ire) and G3 Marble Hill S. winner Minaun (Ire). His other standouts include the G2 German 1000 Guineas scorer Main Edition (Ire) and G2 May Hill S. winner and G1 Irish Oaks second Fleeting (Ire). Zoffany has thus far left behind 38 stakes winners worldwide and in addition to Europe and Australia his progeny have won black-type races in the U.S. and South Africa. Zoffany had been set to stand for €20,000 in 2021, and his yearlings of 2020 included a 580,000gns filly bred by James Cloney of Cn Farm and purchased by MV Magnier from consignor Highclere Stud.
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