Coolmore have announced that two time Group I winner Camille Pissarro will take up stud duties at its base in Ireland for the 2026 season.
The blue-blooded son of the late, great Wootton Bassett became the first yearling by his sire to fetch a 7-figure sum in Ireland and the UK when MV Magnier & White Birch Farm secured him for 1.25million guineas at Tattersalls Book 1 in 2023.
A half-brother to the top-class 2YO and Royal Ascot Commonwealth [Gr.1] winning 3YO, Golden Horde, Camille Pissarro wasted little time in justifying his price tag.
He broke his maiden with ease over 6f on debut at Navan, posting a TDN Rising Star performance in the process.
He stepped up in grade to take on the more experienced and subsequent Flying Five Stakes [Gr.1] winner, Arizona Blaze, on his next start in the Marble Hill [Gr.3] at the Curragh, only to be denied by a nose on the line.
Camille Pissarro demonstrated incredible toughness throughout his 2YO campaign, racing every month from April to October.
He saved his best 2YO performance for last, taking the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere [Gr.1] on Arc Weekend with a devastating turn of foot to beat a quality field of 2YOs.
Amongst those in his wake were Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf [Gr.1] winner, Henri Matisse, Irish 2,000 Guineas [Gr.1] & St James’s Palace Stakes [Gr.1] victor, Field Of Gold, and Coventry Stakes [Gr.2] winner Rashabar.
Following a prep over 7f at the Curragh, Camille Pissarro headed to the French 2,000 Guineas [Gr.1] as a leading chance. From stall 15, round the sharp ParisLongchamp mile, he was forced to concede considerable ground to the subsequent winner, his old rival Henri Matisse, and the high-class Jonquil in second to be beaten little over a length in a fast-finishing third.
Following this eye-catching run in the Guineas, Camille Pissarro justified favouritism with another scintillating performance in the Prix Du Jockey Club [Gr.1] three weeks later. Ridden patiently, Camille Pissarro once again produced an electric turn of foot to quicken through runners to put a top-class field to the sword.
“It’s a difficult race to win. You need a horse with a lot of speed, and they need to get the trip as well,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien following the win.
“It’s a very important race, and it makes him a very important horse now. He is the perfect big, powerful, black horse by Wootton Bassett.”
“Camille Pissarro is a huge addition to our roster,” commented Coolmore’s David O’Loughlin,
“Wootton Bassett is obviously a tremendous loss for us all, but we can be very confident that Camille Pissarro will follow in his father’s footsteps. He is made very much in his father’s image, arguably even better looking, according to a lot of the judges! Like his father, he won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere but went on to add the renowned sire-making Prix du Jockey Club. He has a pedigree stacked with Group 1-speed but managed to carry that speed over 10½ furlongs.”
Camille Pissarro’s stud fee for 2026 will be announced in due course.
