Invincible Spirit, War Front, Kitten’s Joy … and Frankel. In a few weeks short of a calendar year since his first Group runner, that’s the kind of lofty company Juddmonte’s champion of champions is now keeping in TRC’s world stallion rankings.
Largely because of the victory of his daughter Soul Stirring in the G1 Japanese Oaks (Yushun Himba) at Tokyo on Sunday (see YouTube video below), Frankel has surged another three ranking points in the sires’ list to reach joint #33 (up from 41), which is unfeasibly high for a second-season stallion, let alone this early in the year.
Only Uncle Mo, who soared from #40 to #20 after the star of his first crop, Nyquist, won the Kentucky Derby last May, is remotely comparable in the six-year history of the TRC Global Rankings, and undoubtedly for many years further back.
And don’t forget that Frankel may have his own Nyquist moment in Europe next week. He has two big contenders in the Epsom Derby a week on Saturday - Cracksman, who is disputing favouritism at around 4-1, and Eminent, third favourite at a best-price 8-1.
For Frankel’s name to appear alongside the likes of Invincible Spirit, War Front and Kitten’s Joy, potent stallions who have been producing high-class performers for years, shows how highly the TRC algorithm values the Group and Graded results his progeny have achieved so far.
Of course, the son of world #1 Galileo has been accorded every chance to make a success of his second career since he took up stud duties at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor at Newmarket at the start of 2013.
Indeed, Soul Stirring is a prime example of the quality of mares that have been visiting him. She is out of America’s 2011 Female Turf Champion, Stacelita, a six-time G1-winning daughter of Monsun.
Stacelita was most effective over ten furlongs to a mile and a half. As well as the Beverley D at Arlington and the Flower Bowl at Saratoga when trained by Chad Brown, she also took the Prix de Diane at Chantilly and the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp for Jean-Claude Rouget, and you’ll see from the video that Soul Stirring appears to get better the further she goes in the mile-and-a-half Japanese classic.
Soul Stirring was Frankel’s second G1 winner - and his first. She took the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over a mile at Hanshin last December.
Click here for a list of the week’s biggest points gainers.
Click here for a list of the week’s group and graded winners, including ratings.