Leading Coolmore Sire Mastercraftsman Dies at 15

Mastercraftsman , a four-time group 1 winner who developed into a high-class international sire, has died at the age of 15 after suffering a suspected heart attack at Coolmore's Castlehyde Stud.

The joint highest-rated son of Danehill Dancer on Racing Post Ratings won seven of his 12 starts for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners, including the Independent Waterford Wedgwood Phoenix Stakes (G1) and the Bank of Scotland National Stakes (G1) at 2, victories that propelled him to champion juvenile status in 2008.

He returned at 3 to claim classic laurels in the Boylesports.com Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) before he went on to defeat Delegator  by a hard-fought neck in the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1). Following that Royal Ascot success, O'Brien said: "It was an unbelievably brave performance by jockey and horse. He has courage, speed, and stamina. Soft ground, fast ground, they all come alike.

"He's behaving very like a Giant's Causeway. He's out there, he's uncomplicated, and he's rolling. He is a great cruiser and has loads of class and then he's very courageous at the end. I don't think you can ask for a whole lot more than that."

His best performance on RPRs came when runner-up to Sea The Stars  in the Juddmonte International (G1), an effort that earned him a mark of 127. He rounded out his racing days with a close but luckless fourth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Mastercraftsman retired to Coolmore in 2010 at a fee of €20,000 and his first 2-year-olds made an almost instant impression when hitting the racecourse three years later.

The star name among that debut crop was Kingston Hill , whose unbeaten 2-year-old campaign concluded with victory in the Racing Post Trophy (G1), while group 3 winners Craftsman and Amazing Maria also did their bit to propel Mastercraftsman to the champion first-season sire title.

Better was to come too, as by the end of 2014 Mastercraftsman had supplied two classic winners, with Kingston Hill  claiming the Ladbrokes St. Leger (G1) and The Grey Gatsby  landing the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) before famously getting the better of Australia  in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1).

Although his fee fluctuated somewhat since hitting a peak of €40,000 in 2015, he developed into a decidedly high-class international sire with a stud record boasting 160 stakes performers, including 53 group/graded scorers and 29 listed winners.

His roll of honor is headed by 16 top-level winners, including the likes of four-time group 1 heroine Alpha Centauri , Amazing Maria , who landed the Falmouth Stakes (G1), and Prix Royal-Oak (G1) victor Technician .

He also shuttled to the Southern Hemisphere where he left group 1 winners such Danzdanzdance, Saint Emilion, and Thee Auld Floozie in New Zealand, while names like Cambridge, Ojo Del Milagro, and Ya Primo struck at the highest level in South America.

Mastercraftsman dropped a timely reminder of his prowess as recently as Aug. 11, when he sired a one-two in the listed Upavon Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury with Lilac Road seeing off Technique by a head.

"Mastercraftsman was a lovely horse to have anything to do with and will be missed by everyone here," said Castlehyde Stud manager Tom Gaffney. "He has sired some wonderful animals and hopefully there will be a few more stars by him to come."

He is already the damsire of Australian group 1 winner Loving Gaby, Italian group 2 scorer Attimo Fuggente, and the smart juvenile Dhabab, and, with his eldest daughters now 10, there is every chance Mastercraftsman's influence as a broodmare sire will blossom over the coming years. 

He also has a handful of sons at stud, with Kingston Hill under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at Castlehyde Stud, The Grey Gatsby, who has already supplied his first winner, standing at Haras du Petit Tellier, while Master Carpenter  stood 2021 at March Hare Stud.

Bred by Lynch Bages, Mastercraftsman was the sixth foal out of Starlight Dreams, a daughter of Black Tie Affair, who produced two other black-type performers, namely grade 3 winner Genuine Devotion, granddam of recent graded winner Zoffarelli, and Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) runner-up Famous, who is also the dam of Lingfield Oaks Trial scorer Sherbet Lemon.

The pedigree traces back to group 1 winners such as Sahkee and Imperial Monarch.