FRESH from selling the top-priced lot at Tattersalls Ireland this week, Rathasker Stud in Naas has secured the Kodiac horse Coulsty for stud duties in 2017.

A winner every season for the past four years, Coulsty fits the Rathasker mould in that he showed speed and soundness throughout his career.

When trained by Richard Hannon, Coulsty won first time out in May of his two-year-old career. As a three-year-old he won the Group 3 Prix de Meautry at Deauville over six furlongs. First time out at age four he won a hot listed contest, defeating (off level weights) the Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1-placed horse Aljamaaheer.

Coulsty very nearly won a Group 2 himself in August of last year when he finished half a length second to Adaay in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.

The five-year-old was as good as ever this year, racing seven times and winning a conditions race at Thirsk in July.

Ed Sackville, who purchased Coulsty as a yearling for Lord Vestey, said: “Coulsty was a magnificent yearling with size, strength, quality and great movement.”

Richard Hannon described Coulsty as “a pleasure to train, a high class sprinter. The model of soundness and honesty.”

Coulsty was sold as a yearling by Paul McCartan of Ballyphilip Stud who said: “Coulsty was a cracking foal – very balanced, standing on great limbs and had a terrific walk. He was an equally nice yearling.”

Maurice Burns of Rathasker Stud added: “Coulsty is an exciting commercial prospect for our clients – a high class group race-winning sprinter by leading sire Kodiac, from a family full of speed and precocity with exceedingly good looks to match.”

Coulsty’s fee will be announced at a later date. He holds an entry in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes.