Zoffany had been many people’s idea of this season’s leading first-season sire and thus far he has not disappointed his supporters with a stakes-race treble at Royal Ascot being the latest feather in his cap.

Washington DC, bred by Pat Hyland and James McHale, got the ball rolling when winning the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes on the opening day of the Royal Meeting for Aidan O’Brien.

His stable-mate Waterloo Bridge capitalised on his maiden victory at Tipperary on June 4 to return to the track a fortnight later to beat the favourite and second-favourite King Of Rooks and Log Out Island in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes, while 24 hours later Illuminate retained her unbeaten tag when sprinting to glory under Richard Hughes in the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

Zoffany’s quartet of first-crop black-type winners is completed by Argentero, who won the Listed Rochestown Stakes at Naas on June 1.

Another four individual winners for the young son of Dansili mean he is heading the freshman sires’ table both by number of winners and prize-money won, with his nearest pursuer being his fellow Coolmore stallions Canford Cliffs on seven winners.

The son of Tagula enjoyed a weekend to remember when Painted Cliffs won the Group 2 Railway Stakes followed a day later by Most Beautiful’s success in the Grangecon Stud Stakes, both victories coming at the Curragh during the Irish Derby meeting.

Most Beautiful, out of the Cape Cross mare Saphira’s Fire, was bred in Britain by Horizon Bloodstock and races for former Irish rugby star Ronan O’Gara and Linda Shanahan, while the Lisieux Stud-bred Painted Silks runs in the dark blue silks of Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.

Zoffany and Canford Cliffs are represented in Arqana’s August Yearling Sale by five lots apiece, while six yearlings from the first crop of Frankel will be the first to go under the hammer for the sire in Deauville.