A new Group winner and three new Group performers for Frankel

Frankel was responsible for the first two fillies home in the Gr.3 Prix Vanteaux yesterday (11th April) at ParisLongchamp in addition to two new Group performers at Leopardstown.

Al Shira'aa Farms-owned Rumi raced in second and took the lead of the Prix Vanteaux two and a half furlongs out. She was joined by Juddmonte-bred Petricor 150 yards out to dispute the lead but put her head down gamely and kept on to win by three quarters of a length with Petricor in second. Both fillies were racing at Group level for the first time. Winning trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias commented: "She is a filly I really like and she had won well as a two-year-old and when she ran eight days ago it was a matter of giving her a race to get her fit for this. She won nicely and we'll come back here for the [Gr.1 Prix] Saint-Alary."

Over in Ireland, Shadwell homebred filly Mehnah (also by Frankel) raced well off the pace in the Gr.3 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes at Leopardstown. She made a run through the field at the turn for home and narrowly missed overhauling Keeper Of Time who held on to win by a head. On the same card Frankel colt Taipan was making his Group level debut in Derby trial the Gr.3 Ballysax Stakes. He put in a creditable performance to keep on for third place behind two colts with more experience at this level.

In addition to these new Group performers this weekend, Frankel was also responsible for Listed winner Delaware at Aqueduct - his first blacktype win following a switch from France to the US in 2020 - maiden winner O'Reilly at Leopardstown and conditions winner Hurricane Cloud at Paris Longchamp.