G1 Winner – Who Will it Be?

The new racing season will begin this Saturday prompting racing pundits to speculate on what lies ahead and from a bloodstock perspective there is a stallion I believe is well overdue for his next Australian Group I winner.

Juddmonte based Frankel was an undefeated superstar on the racetrack and that dominance has followed through to his stud career with the champion son of Galileo running at an overall  72.3% winners to runners and a formidable 17.3% SW to runner, which is pretty much on par with that other still active champion Euro sire in Dubawi.

To put that lifetime SW to runner stat in context with our champion Australian sires – Snitzel is 10%, I Am Invincible (9.3%), Zoustar (6.6%), Written Tycoon (5.8%), while fertility challenged Extreme Choice is 11.6%.

What is intriguing about Frankel at this point in time is that he has three crops of Australian bred progeny that are poised to make their presence felt over the next 12 months and beyond.

Australian Studbook stats show that 35 mares arrived in Australia having been covered by Frankel in each of the following years - 2022, 2023 and 2024, resulting in close to 100 foals.

The oldest are three year-olds, followed by two year-olds with the third group selling as yearlings at sales this year highlighted by the Segenhoe Stud consigned colt from Antibes that sold for $2million at Magic Millions to Tom Magnier.

Frankel has ammo in the Aussie locker and statistically it’s hard not to think there will be stakes-winners and more than likely G1 winners in this cohort of horses, unless we really did get the rough end of the pineapple.

Frankel currently is the sire of arguably the best middle-distance horse in Australia in Irish bred stallion Sir Delius (IRE), but he has not sired an Australian (SH time) foaled Group I winner in a while as you would have to go back to Hungry Heart (2021 ATC Oaks, Vinery Stud Stakes) and Converge (2021 BRC JJ Atkins, ATC Randwick Guineas).

The success of those two horses prompted further support for Frankel as a Southern Hemisphere breeding option… if you could afford him.

Below is what’s to come from Frankel here in Australia

The Chris Waller trained Enviable missed the autumn and then cast off maiden status with an easy maiden win at Newcastle and is entered for Rosehill this Saturday.

Also in the Waller stable are Central Europe and Satin Serenade, who was the subject of our Breeding to Win Crystal Ball story this week, read about her here.

Central Europe is a super interesting colt that had two starts last season for a close and unlucky second to Campione D’Italia in the Group II ATC Skyline Stakes and then a  third in the Group III ATC Pago Pago to Warwoven.

He had his first very quiet trial back last week on heavy ground with James McDonald and won’t have had to improve much to be a spring contender.

With a speed pedigree on his female side, Central Europe might have realistic Golden Rose aspirations.

Kiwi trained filly En Cuentro is also on the comeback trail towards spring stakes races and is the subject of this story, click to read.