PILLAR Coral had 38 foals in his first crop, conceived at Annshoon Stud, then 45 and 64 respectively from his first two seasons at Kilbarry Lodge Stud. Last year he covered another triple-digit book of mares.

He has had foals that have sold for up to €25,000 at auction and yearlings up to €30,000, and his top-priced foal of 2021 was a Goffs-sold filly out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Adriana Des Mottes. He will have his first store horses in 2022 and maybe even a juvenile hurdle runner or two, and potentially his first point-to-point horses in 2023.

Early Figures

Pillar Coral’s early figures catch the eye, especially when you consider that he did not race; but neither did Accordion. However, Pillar Coral has a pedigree that could see him make an impact in this role. He is by Zafonic’s speedy full-brother Zamindar (Gone West) and he is the sire of the great Zarkava as well as classic stars such as Darjina and Zenda (dam of Kingman).

From a National Hunt perspective, Pillar Coral is by the sire of Crossharbour, a blacktype National Hunt stallion in France, and, like most leading flat sires, Zamindar also sired some 130+ rated multiple winners under National Hunt rules.

For example, Devil’s Elbow, Lycidas, Zaidiyn and the mare Cubswin fit that description, and they notched up 14 wins between them.

Fascinating prospect

It is the distaff side of his pedigree that makes him such a fascinating prospect and has attracted so many to him, because he is out of Coraline (Sadler’s Wells), which makes him a half-brother to Coastal Path (Halling), Martaline (Linamix) and Reefscape (Linamix).

The latter won the Group 1 Prix du Cadran but had fertility problems, sired only a handful of foals and just one winner, the Grade 1-winning hurdler L’Unique.

Martaline’s top win came in the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieul over 14 furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte, where he beat Westerner by three-quarters of a length, before excelling as a National Hunt stallion.

The Haras de Montaigu horse has supplied Disko, Dynaste, Kotkikova, Terrefort, and We Have A Dream, to name a few Grade 1 stars, a list to which Grade 2 scorer and dual Grade 1 runner-up Riviere D’Etel may add her name.

Then there’s dual Group 2-winning stayer Coastal Path, the sire of Asterion Forlonge, Bacardys, Franco De Port and last month’s Champion Hurdle fourth Saint Roi, among others of note.

This is more than enough to advertise his potential and yet it’s just the first generation of the pedigree of Pillar Coral.

His grandam Bahamian (Mill Reef) is the dam of classic heroine Wemyss Bight (Dancing Brave) and ancestress of standouts such as the top-level star and leading dual-purpose sire Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells), Oasis Dream (Green Desert), New Bay (Dubawi), Allmankind (Sea The Moon) and the aforementioned Zenda and Kingman (Invincible Spirit), whereas his third dam is the multiple classic performer Sorbus (Busted).

Race record

PILLAR CORAL (GB), Bay 2014. Unraced.

At stud

Retired to Stud in 2018, first crop now 3 year olds.

Information

Stands at: Kilbarry Lodge Stud, Waterford, X91 D602, Ireland.

Contact: Con O’Keefffe or Claire O’Keeffe

Telephone: +353 (0)51 373184, +353 (0)87 6822773 (Con), or +353 (0)87 3398630 (Claire)

Email: kilbarrylodgestud@gmail.com

Web: www.kilbarrylodgestud.ie

Fee: €1,500