Lake Victoria a milestone for Frankel as Juddmonte's superstar reaches a century of Group winners

Juddmonte's supersire Frankel has rewritten the record books for a stallion and on Saturday at Newmarket the champion sire of 2021 and 2023 reached a century of Group winners when his daughter Lake Victoria won the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes.

The 16-year-old arrived at his landmark of 100 individual Group winners in the shortest time of any sire, while he matched the record for fastest sire to 100 individual stakes winners with another Juddmonte great, Danehill. His first 50 Group winners were also compiled in the shortest time by any European sire since the introduction of the Pattern.

It has taken him a little over eight years to hit this mark. His first Group winner was also a daughter, Juddmonte homebred Fair Eva in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot in July 2016, while his second Group winner was another filly, the Lowther winner Queen Kindly.

Frankel's first Group 1 winner came in December of that year when Soul Stirring won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in Japan in December 2016. That was the first of 34 individual Group/Grade 1 winners that the unbeaten champion has sired from a total of 148 stakes winners and 230 stakes performers.

Juddmonte’s general manager UK, Simon Mockridge, said: "Frankel and his record-making achievements seem to know no bounds. Frankel excels physically and mentally in all that he does, from racehorse to stallion, and simply in his day-to-day routine. What a privilege it is to witness this extraordinary horse in our lifetime.

"It goes without saying this significant milestone and Frankel’s status as one of the sport’s elite sires could not have been reached without the support of our breeders worldwide to whom we are extremely grateful.

"Frankel’s importance to the sport of horseracing cannot be underestimated both as a household name that extends far beyond our industry, and to the thoroughbred breed. Frankel and his progeny are the jewels in the crown that is Prince Khalid’s legacy of dedication and passion for the thoroughbred which has been rewarded beyond comprehension; the same commitment is felt by his family for Juddmonte and its horses.”

Although Frankel's latest Group 1 winner was bred and is owned by Coolmore, she has strong Juddmonte connections as her broodmare sire is Juddmonte's Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Showcasing, who has become a successful sire at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Lake Victoria's dam Quiet Reflection is from the second crop of Showcasing and became the first Group 1 winner for her sire when successful in the Commonwealth Cup of 2016. Trained by Karl Burke for Ontoawinner, Quiet Reflection also won that year's Sprint Cup at Haydock and was third in the July Cup. 

Victorious in eight of her 13 starts with seven of those wins coming in black-type races, she was sold through Jamie Railton for 2,100,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale.

Quiet Reflection: top-class mare has a Group winner from the paddocksCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Her first foal – Bluegrass – shares his sire Galileo with Frankel and his best result was third to Desert Crown in the Dante Stakes.

Lake Victoria is the fourth foal and third winner that Quiet Reflection has produced; her previous three foals were all by Galileo. She has yearling and foal full-brothers to Lake Victoria and returned to Banstead Manor this spring to be covered by Frankel.

Her first Group winner is the second juvenile Group winner sired this year by Frankel, and both are Coolmore homebreds out of Group 1-winning sprinters. The other is runaway Chesham Stakes heroine Bedtime Story, who led home a one-two for Frankel in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown last month.

Bedtime Story is a three-parts sister to this season's Irish Oaks runner-up Content, out of the dual Nunthorpe winner Mecca's Angel.

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