Swettenham Stud are thrilled to announce that Frankel’s exceptional Group 1 winner DIEGO VELAZQUEZ (IRE) will shuttle to their Nagambie operation, commencing in 2026.
Winner of the 1600m G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, just like sensational sires Dubawi and Kingman, Diego Velazquez will be a welcome addition to the Victorian Stallion Ranks.
Breeders will have unique access to the only Group 1 winning son of Global Super sire Frankel standing in Australia.
Diego Velazquez is impeccably bred and is an extremely good-looking, 2.4 million guineas Tattersalls October purchase. The flashy son of 2yo Stakes winner Sweepstake was already the three-quarter-brother to G1 winner Broome and G2 winner Point Lonsdale before he stepped in the ring—and he would prove in time that he is better than both.
Named for famed Baroque painter Diego Velázquez, the colt previewed what he would become with a 4.8-length demolition over 1400 metres on debut in the August of his juvenile season, followed by claiming the G2 Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown. At three, Diego Velazquez added the G3 Meld Stakes, by an astonishing seven lengths, and the G2 Solonaway Stakes to his resume.
“(Winning jockey) Ryan (Moore) said he's got all the class and all the speed in the world," O’Brien declared after his Solonaway victory.
This year, Diego Velazquez extended his record with the G2 Minstrel Stakes at The Curragh and defeated 4-time Group 1 winner Notable Speech (he won the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile on Sunday) in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, carrying the blue and green Sangster family silks to victory for new connections Sam Sangster Bloodstock.
"He is a fast son of Frankel,” Sam Sangster said after the race. “But you can see that, physically he's all there, he's all power and quite compact. Aidan said to me before the race that his trip is a mile, so we knew he had that little bit of stamina up his sleeve. But he's quick, he's genuine, he's tough. He's a beauty."
"We always thought the world of Diego Velazquez,” said O’Brien. “He's a very legitimate and desirable horse - he deserved to win his Group 1. He's a great model, and is determined and very brave.”
In his Prix Jacques Le Marois victory, Diego Velazquez joined an elite honour roll alongside Dubawi, Kingman, and Palace Pier.
"He's a horse who leaves little to the imagination,” said Sam Sangster. “He is the stamp of his father and a top-class racehorse to match. He's done it at Group 2 level across three seasons and was Classic-placed, which gives him a rare depth of form and longevity. Topped off with a Group 1 success in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, one of Europe’s premier stallion-making races."
Diego Velazquez will spend the first half of 2026 at the English National Stud, where Toronado also began his career, before heading south to Swettenham Stud for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.
“Diego Velazquez ticks every box for British breeders,” said English National Stud CEO Anna Kerr upon the announcement. “(He has) the physical, the pedigree, and the performance. This horse will be given every chance to succeed.”
Swettenham Stud Principal Adam Sangster added, “As an industry, we have all been waiting for a fast son of Frankel to stand in Australia, and to purchase the most precocious son of his generation who won the stallion-making European mile was a stroke of genius from my brother Sam.
“The victory certainly helped facilitate standing Diego Velazquez in Australia for Sam and his partners, as we at Swettenham are very selective in who we stand so that breeders can have the greatest chance of a return on investment.”
“There is a tremendous sense of family pride working together with Sam to stand Diego Velazquez. We have already discussed the mares they’re supporting him with in the Northern Hemisphere, and we are incredibly excited about getting behind him with some quality mares in the Southern Hemisphere.”
A Group winner at two, three, and four, Diego Velazquez combines the greatness of his sire Frankel with the speed and precocity desired by the Australian market. He offers everything the Australian breeder could want; proven early talent, the ability to train on at the highest level, and the physique to reproduce the same types at stud.
A fee will be announced in due course for Diego Velazquez.
