Mastercraftsman the star of the show with a day four double

Mastercraftsman proved the star among the stallions on the fourth day of Royal Ascot on Friday, with a quickfire double.

We highlighted on these pages in January that it would likely be a big year for Coolmore's great grey, as his three-year-olds were bred at a higher fee after his breakthrough freshman season and his two-year-olds were produced after that first crop yielded Classic winners Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby.

And so it has proved, with Alpha Centauri confirming herself the best three-year-old filly around with a clear-cut victory in the Coronation Stakes and Agrotera landing a gamble in decisive fashion in the next race on the card, the Sandringham Handicap.

Mastercraftsman – triumphant at Royal Ascot in his own racing career, in the St James's Palace Stakes – has also been represented as a sire this year by US Grade 1 heroine A Raving Beauty and Group 3 scorers Master The World and Neufbosc.

Elsewhere at Royal Ascot on Friday, leading sires Dubawi, Invincible Spirit, Teofilo and Zoffany all notched first winners for the week.

Dubawi was on the mark with King Edward VII Stakes winner Old Persian, who hails from the same family as Alpha Centauri as both are descended from Pasadoble, the dam of legendary mare Miesque. Last year's King Edward VII Stakes scorer, the much missed Permian, is another who boasts Pasadoble as ancestress.

Dalham Hall Stud flagbearer Dubawi has also notched two runners-up this week in Dubawi Fifty and Wild Illusion.

Invincible Spirit fielded the first and third home in the Commonwealth Cup in Eqtidaar and Emblazoned.

Breeders will have an eye on Eqtidaar as a future stallion already, spurred on by Invincible Spirit's son Kingman coming up with Tuesday's Coventry Stakes winner Calyx in his debut crop of juveniles.

Teofilo supplied Duke of Edinburgh Stakes winner Dash Of Spice, while his son Havana Gold made his presence felt on Friday through Sandringham Handicap runner-up Ortiz.

Zoffany, whose first crop of two-year-olds in 2015 yielded three Royal Ascot winners, was back in the spotlight at the meeting thanks to Albany Stakes heroine Main Edition. Earlier this week he had posted a third-place finisher in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with Wilamina.

Frankel maintains his lead in the sire standings. Although he did not register any more winners on Friday, he had two more place-getters in King Edward VII Stakes second Rostropovich – a half-brother to none other than Zoffany – and Coronation Stakes third Veracious.

Despite all the study of stallions, Friday's Royal Ascot action reminded us that you dismiss the dams at your peril.

Two mares produced their second winners at the meeting. Main Edition, out of Maine Lobster, is a half-sister to 2011 Wolferton Handicap winner Beachfire (and to a Coventry Stakes runner-up in Major Cadeaux), while Dash Of Spice, whose dam Dashiba finished third in the 1998 Chesham Stakes, is a half-brother to 2007 Sandringham Handicap winner Barshiba.

Barshiba is the dam of Arabian Queen, conqueror of Golden Horn in the Juddmonte International at York, who also acquitted herself well at Royal Ascot, not beaten far when fifth to Ervedya in the Coronation Stakes and sixth behind Anthem Alexander in the Queen Mary one year earlier.

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