Dansili, one of the outstanding sires of his generation, has died shortly before his 26th birthday after a short, aggressive illness at his birthplace, Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket, Juddmonte Farms has announced.
The son of Danehill was the first foal out of the listed winner Hasili, who went on to become a blue hen broodmare of considerable note as the dam of six consecutive Graded stakes winners, including five individual G1 winners.
Dansili may not have won a G1, but he made up for it at stud. His progeny included Arc winner Rail Link, King George hero Harbinger and multi-G1 winner Fintshire. He was a champion sire in France and has compiled a formidable record as a broodmare sire.
Trained in France by André Fabre, Dansili won his only race as a 2-year-old and his racecourse debut at 3, making him a leading contender for the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) in 1999. Fifteen runners went to post - one of the biggest fields in the race's history - and Dansili found only Sendawar too good. He ran four more times that season, winning the G3 Prix Messidor and placing in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois (won by Dubai Millennium) and G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
A tough and consistent campaigner, Dansili returned for a 4-year-old season in which he won both the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc and G2 Prix du Muguet and placed four further times at the highest level, including running second to the ‘Iron Horse’ Giant's Causeway in the G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and third to War Chant and North East Bound in the Breeders’ Cup Mile by a neck and a nose after the fastest closing quarter in Breeders’ Cup history.
Soon afterwards, Dansili was returned to his birthplace at Banstead Manor Stud to start a new chapter as a stallion.
He went on to sire 22 G1 winners, starting at a fee of £8,000 and rising to a peak of £100,000 thanks to some outstanding horses. As well as Flintshire, Harbinger and Rail Link, he was responsible for Proviso, Queen’s Trust, Dank and The Fugue. He was champion sire in France in 2006.
Dansili was also an exceptional broodmare sire of the likes of Nezwaah, Cliffs Of Moher, Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita, Time Test, Snow Sky, Agent Murphy, Astaire and Juddmonte stallion Expert Eye. He was pensioned from stud duties in 2018 at the age of 22.
His influence will be felt at Juddmonte for many years through his daughters in the broodmare band and via current Juddmonte stallion Bated Breath, whose career has closely echoed that of his sire to date.
Simon Mockridge, Juddmonte’s General Manager (UK), paid tribute to Dansili. “As a racehorse he was durable, genuine, consistent and expertly handled by André Fabre throughout his career,” he said.
“Although he deserved a Group 1 victory on the racecourse, having been placed in six, that somehow always managed to evade him. During his 17 years at stud he played an intrinsic role alongside Oasis Dream in establishing the reputation of the Juddmonte roster. A truly wonderful, reliable, and uncomplicated character as a stallion, he was a firm favourite of the stallion team and Juddmonte as a whole. He will be greatly missed.”