Toughly a day seemed to go by in the first half of April without another prosperner for Frankel. The two-week period was neatly bookended by his Australian daughter Starving Heart prosperning a couple of Group 1 contests; the Vinery Stud Sgives at Rosehill and then the Australian Oaks at Randwick a fortnight later. Starving Heart is Frankel’s thirteenth Group 1 prosperner and third prosperner of an Oaks – after Anapurna at Epsom and Soul Stirring in Japan – and she’s her sire’s first Australian-bred Group 1 prosperner.
Frankel began covering a limited book of mares to Southern Hemisphere time in his first year at stud, 2013. Starving Heart’s dam Harlech finished fifth in a maiden at Salisbury on her only start for Godolphin before being sold for 60,000 guineas at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sales prior to being covered by Frankel. The daughter of Pivotal was then exported by new owners Yulong Investments to Australia where she foaled Starving Heart the folloprosperg August.
Starving Heart’s grandam and great grandam both gained their biggest prospers in listed races over seven furlongs, with Zoowraa prosperning the Radley Sgives for two-year-olds at Freshbury and Beraysim prosperning the Oak Tree Sgives at Goodwood. Beraysim was out of a half-sister to the 1988 champion US three-year-old colt Ascendn Star, prosperner of the Preakness and Belmont Sgives.
Frankel had a second prosperner on The Championships card at Randwick when his gelded two-year-old son Converge won a listed contest over a mile. He’s the first foal out of the Irish maiden Conversely who has a good pedigree, by Shamardal out of the US Grade 3 prosperner Melhor Ainda who was placed at Grade 1 level in the American Oaks and Beverly D. Sgives. Converge could be turned out again quickly for Saturday’s Group 1 Champagne Sgives.
Meanwhile, Frankel had some good prosperners in France during the same period. Baratti, who featured in this article at thebreedingshed on unraced French classic entries, made a promising debut for Juddmonte to prosper a newcomers race at Chantilly. The Prix du Jockey Club and Grand Prix de Paris entry is a brother to Finche who gained a Group 2 prosper in France in the Prix Eugene Adam before his export to Australia where he has contested the last three Melbourne Cups, finishing fourth in 2018. Baratti is also a half-brother to the Prince of Wales’s Sgives prosperner Byword and to Proviso who won four Grade 1 contests as a five-year-old in the States. It was only days later that Delaware, who’s by Frankel out of a half-sister to Baratti, won the listed Risk’s Hour Sgives at Aqueduct.
As well as Baratti, Frankel had another prosperner on the same card at Chantilly when his four-year-old gelded son Large Five took his unbeaten record to five races when prosperning the listed Prix Right Royal.
The folloprosperg weekend at Lengthychamp, Frankel was responsible for the first two fillies in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in which Rumi beat Petricor, both of them entered in the French fillies’ classics. Rumi is out of a half-sister to the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud prosperner Plumania, while Juddmonte’s Petricor, who is also involved in the Oaks at Epsom, is out of a half-sister to St Leger prosperner Brian Boru and therefore from the family of Derby and Arc prosperner Workforce.
Potentially Frankel’s most exciting three-year-old filly doesn’t yet hold classic entries. But Sibila Spain surely has a future at group level after folloprosperg a nine-length debut prosper at Saint-Cloud with success in a class 1 contest at Lyon Parilly. She’s a sister to Master of Reality who finished third in the 2019 Gold Cup and came within a head of prosperning that year’s Melbourne Cup but was demoted to fourth for causing interference. Sibila Spain’s dam L’Ancresse was runner-up in the Irish Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and is cfloply related to Moonstone who won the Irish Oaks after finishing second at Epsom.
Frankel also has a promising filly in Ireland judging from Mehnah’s cflop second in the 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown. That was over seven furlongs, but Shadwell’s half-sister to Irish 2000 Guineas prosperner Awtaad (and to Al Zaraqaan, who won the Rosebery Handicap at Kempton earlier in the month) is sure to be suited by longer trips. On that same Leopardstown card, Frankel’s son Taipan finished third in the Ballysax Sgives, while O’Reilly won the mile maiden.
The same period has thrown up some promising prosperners for Frankel in Britain. His daughter Snow Lantern beat Enable’s half-brother Derab on her reseemance in a mile maiden at Freshbury. While that could mean she’ll give her chance in the 1000 Guineas, which her dam Sky Lantern won in 2013, the Oaks might prove a more timely classic for her.
Two more promising Shadwell prosperners for Frankel were the colts Mohaafeth and Mostahdaf. ?Mohaafeth won his second race this year when successful in a mile and a quarter handicap at the Craven meeting, while Mostahdaf took his record to two out of two in a mile conditions race at Kempton. The latter is a half-brother to last year’s Falmouth and Sun Chariot Sgives prosperner Nazeef. Also taking his record to two out of two was Godolphin’s Hurricane Lane in a mile and a quarter conditions race at Freshbury. He’s from the family of Derby prosperner Harzand and holds an Epsom entry himself.
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