A new Australian Group winner for Frankel

Frankel colt Central Europe produced an impressive performance to break his maiden in Saturday’s Group 3 Callander-Presnell Stakes at Randwick.

Taken from the ANZ Bloodstock News, 25th October 2026:

Having finished fourth behind Warwoven in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas last start, the three-year-old colt unleashed a powerful finishing burst under Jason Collett to defeat Why So Hard by 3.2 lengths, with Lafite a further 1.1 lengths away in third. Trainer Chris Waller’s representative Darren Beadman said the colt had long shown considerable promise at home.

“We obviously thought a lot of the colt early days as a two-year-old running him in the better class two-year-old races,” Beadman said. “But the trip down to Melbourne and running in a tough race, the Caulfield Guineas, has helped him.” Beadman praised Collett’s handling of Central Europe after the colt became keen when the tempo eased mid-race. “He had curled him up like a coiled spring coming into the corner and once he let loose on him he was all class,” he said.

Collett believes the colt has further improvement to come as he matures, while Michael Hawkes was equally encouraged by the performance of runner-up Why So Hard, who was having just his third start. Bred by Coolmore, who retained interest, Central Europe was a $750,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Waller and Mulcaster Bloodstock. He is the best of four winners out of European Champion 2YO Filly Tiggy Wiggy - who has also produced the Group 1-placed Year Of The Tiger.