Frankuus is related to a Breeders' Cup star

FRANKUUS (IRE) - 2014 grey colt

The great champion Frankel (by Galileo) made an exciting start to his stallion career in 2016 by coming up with six pattern-winning juveniles in his first crop, headed by the undefeated Group 1 star and Japanese filly champion Soul Stirring.

The sextet also includes Frankuus, and although he may not have as much potential for improvement as do some others among their sire's initial runners, this 106-rated grey could be a high-class middle-distance colt in 2017 and 2018.

Like so many of his sire's earliest runners, this Mark Johnston-trained colt made a winning debut, in his case over seven furlongs at Haydock in June. He finished fifth to Churchill in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, then third and fourth in listed contests at Ascot and Newbury before stepping up to a mile and beyond.

That move saw him win the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock in early September and the Group 3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at Chantilly a month later, his rivals in the latter including the subsequent Group 1 star Waldgeist, who finished third.

The degree of improvement that rival found in the following weeks was evident in the way he won the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud next time, a race in which Frankuus disappointed in eighth place.

Frankuus was bred by Ballylinch Stud, he is a half-brother to the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner and Group 1 Criterium International third US Law (by Lawman), and he is out of Dookus (by Linamix), a half-sister to the speedy juvenile stakes winner Pharmacist (by Machiavellian).

That smart filly became a notable success at stud, she has four blacktype-winning offpsring to her name, and one of those is the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf and Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes hero Red Rocks (by Galileo).

He was also a talented performer in Europe where he was placed in both the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp and Group 1 St Leger at York, he began his stallion career at Centro Equino Arcadia in Italy, spent two seasons at Calumet Farm in Kentucky, and is now back at his prior home.

Pharmacist's quartet also includes the Group 2-placed, stakes-winning middle-distance horses Medicinal (by Linamix) and Galvaun (by Galileo), while her stakes-placed half-sister Phariseek (by Rainbow Quest) has chipped in with the Punchestown Grade 1 Champion 4YO Hurdle scorer Hisaabaat (by Dubawi).

She is also a half-sister to the unraced dam of Green Rock (by Green Tune), a juvenile listed race winner who was third in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe, and all of this stamina at eight to 14 furlongs is striking given that their dam is the high-class sprinter Pharaoh's Delight (by Fairy King).

She won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and was runner-up to Chimes Of Freedom in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, when it was run over six furlongs, and she was later third to the brilliant Dayjur in each of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, Group 1 Sprint Cup and Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp.

Her half-brother Kateb (by Pennine Walk), on the other hand, was a star middle-distance runner in Scandinavia, a dual winner of both the Listed Dansk Eclipse Stakes and Listed Oslo Cup.

Frankuus clearly has plenty of ability, he holds entries in both the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas and Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, and it would be no surprise to see him become a smart middle-distance performer in 2017 and 2018.