Frankel phenomenon travels to Australia
Frankel's legacy as a stallion at Juddmonte is being felt at a global level, especially in Australia, where he will get the chance to add to his remarkable run of success on Saturday (14th April) with Converge in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes.
Taken from Thoroughbred Daily News Australia/New Zealand, 22nd April 2021:
International bloodlines having an influence in Australia is nothing new, with shuttle stallions a significant aspect of the global thoroughbred breeding industry, but what Frankel has been able to achieve at a relatively early point of his career in this part of the world is something entirely different.
Historically, there are very few stallions who have been able to produce consistent stakes winners on the other side of the world without having actually stood in that country. Frankel has now had seven stakes winners in Australia from just 35 runners, a success rate of 20 per cent, while he has had two Group 1 winners, Mirage Dancer in last year's Gr.1 Metropolitan Handicap and now Hungry Heart, who last Saturday added the Gr.1 Australian Oaks to her victory in the Vinery Stud S. earlier this month. That pair represents the two key sources of success for progeny of Frankel in Australia to this point in his career.
Mirage Dancer, from his very first crop, was bred by Juddmonte, raced in the same colours as his father and was then sold privately to Australian interests, headed by Seymour Bloodstock. There have been 15 internationally bred progeny of Frankel to compete in Australia for eight winners, with Mirage Dancer and Finche the two stakes winners.
Hungry Heart, meanwhile, was bred by Yulong from a mare, Harlech, who was purchased specifically to visit Frankel before heading to Australia. She is one of 15 Australian-bred winners by Frankel from 20 runners, a list that includes five stakes winners, as well as Wednesday's Canterbury winner, Yangtze Rapids.
Of that list of stakes winners, Converge, Frankely Awesome and Significance, like Hungry Heart, are all out of mares imported to Australia in foal to Frankel, while Miss Fabulass is the only one out of an Australian mare sent to Frankel before she was foaled in Australia.
Australian mares heading to Great Britain to visit Frankel has been a relative rarity, with only 17 of his Australian-born progeny bred from Australian or New Zealand-bred mares of his seven crops to date.
Should Converge prevail in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes. on Saturday, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding would break new ground as Frankel's first two-year-old Group 1 winner in Australia and just his fourth overall, joining Quadrilateral, Soul Stirring and Grenadier Guards.
Comparing the global stars
When you look at the Australian racing records of the progeny of prominent international stallions who haven't shuttled to Australia, you get a strong appreciation of just what Frankel has been able to achieve.
