THE current batch of freshman sires is one of the smallest in recent years, and with many of them being horses whom you would not expect to see take high rank with two-year-olds until the autumn, or to excel until their progeny go beyond a mile, there was always a chance that one among them might establish a wide early lead in their category’s title race.

That is what has happened, and although the first serious challenge to his early dominance has emerged, Coolmore Stud’s Zoffany (by Dansili) still leads the way.

It is hardly a surprise that it is he who has been the first of his cohort to excel given his own juvenile record, which kicked off with a debut success over six furlongs in April and featured victory in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes.

He did not win as a three-year-old but was runner-up to Frankel in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes and to Mutual Trust in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat.

His racing and pedigree profile make him a candidate to get both precocious and late-season juveniles, and potentially top-class three-year-olds and older horses at up to 10 furlongs, with some staying a bit further, especially with help from their dam.

So far Zoffany is living up to expectations. He got a Naas listed scorer and three Royal Ascot blacktype winners last month and, at the recent July Meeting at Newmarket, one of the latter added the Group 2 Qipco Duchess of Cambridge Stakes to her record.

Illuminate started her career with an easy win over five furlongs at Salisbury in early May, followed-up in the Group 3 Albany Stakes and so is unbeaten in three starts.

The Richard Hannon-trained bay was bred by Epona Bloodstock Ltd, she is a £95,000 graduate of the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale, and as she comes from the family of two classic-placed horses one could expect that she will prove to be more than just a leading early two-year-old.

Illuminate is a half-sister to the dual sprint winner Rhal (by Rahy), her unraced dam Queen Of Stars (by Green Desert) is one of only two foals out of the French listed scorer Queen Catherine (by Machiavellian), and immediately there is an aspect of the pedigree that catches the eye.

It may mean nothing beyond academic curiosity, but Illuminate is inbred 4x3 Danzig (by Northern Dancer) and 3x3 Machiavellian (by Mr Prospector).

Queen Catherine’s other foal was Lady Catherine (by Bering) who won the Group 3 Premio Dormello in Italy and a listed contest in France, both as a juvenile, and who was runner-up in the Group 1 Oaks d’Italia at three. She has produced several multiple winners, including one whose overall tally is into double figures.

The third dam of Illuminate is Russian Royal (by Nureyev) who was runner-up in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes and in the Group 3 Beeswing Stakes.

In addition to Queen Catherine she was the dam of the Group 3 May Hill Stakes third Gretel (by Hansel), and those of note out of her other daughters include the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes scorer Bobs Pride (by Marju), the Australian pattern winner Girl In Flight (by Commands) and the highly talented French colt Prince Gibraltar (by Rock Of Gibraltar).

He won the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud as a juvenile, added the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe last year before taking third in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) and second in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, and he was runner-up to Manatee in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly at the end of May.

The next dam is Princess Karenda (by Gummo), who won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap and the Grade 1 Hollywood Oaks, and her other offspring include the stakes-placed Incinderator (by Northern Dancer) who sired some blacktype winners from limited opportunities.