Coolmore Stud has announced the retirement of Delacroix, the brilliant son of Dubawi, who will take up stallion duties for the 2026 breeding season.

A star from the outset, Delacroix earned TDN Rising Star honours after his maiden win at the Curragh as a juvenile before capturing the Group 3 Autumn Stakes. He narrowly missed Group 1 glory when beaten by a nose in the Futurity Stakes.

The following spring, he stamped himself as a Derby contender with two commanding wins in Leopardstown’s Derby trials. Though his Epsom run did not go to plan, Delacroix rebounded spectacularly when dropped back in trip for the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, where he unleashed a dazzling burst of speed to overhaul Ombudsman from an unlikely position.

“What he did at Sandown, you don’t see horses do that,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse do what he did.”

Delacroix confirmed that brilliance in the Irish Champion Stakes, accelerating past his rivals with breathtaking ease two furlongs out to complete the prestigious Eclipse–Irish Champion double—a rare feat shared only by legendary stallions such as Sadler’s Wells, Giant’s Causeway, Sea The Stars, and St Mark’s Basilica.

“Delacroix is a gorgeous horse—undoubtedly the best-looking son of Dubawi we’ve ever seen,” said Coolmore’s David O’Loughlin. “He’s out of one of America’s greatest racemares and was an exceptionally sound, tough and talented horse with a lethal turn of foot. Dubawi’s sons like Night of Thunder, Too Darn Hot, Zarak and New Bay are thriving at stud, and Delacroix was rated higher than any of them. His pedigree is free of Sadler’s Wells, Galileo, Danehill and Green Desert, making him a vital outcross for Coolmore and our clients.”

Bred from the late Tepin—twice crowned Champion Grass Mare in North America—Delacroix carries an elite maternal line. Tepin, a $8 million purchase, won 13 of her 23 starts including six Grade 1 races, famously conquering Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes. Despite producing only four foals before her untimely death, two became Group 1 winners: Delacroix and his full sister Grateful, successful in France.

Coolmore will announce Delacroix’s stud fee at a later date.