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 and counting individual Group/Grade 1 winners that the unbeaten champion has sired from a total of 148 stakes winners and 230 stakes performers.
Although his 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.
Frankel's Legacy: A Century of Group Winners
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.
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 1-2 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.
A New Chapter: Lake Victoria's Triumph in the Sweet Solera Stakes
The Sean Levey-ridden filly broke smartly and was a shade keen on the front end through the early strides of this black-type bow. Settling into a comfortable rhythm by halfway, the 11-8 favourite was held together until stirred into action with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and kept on powerfully up the hill to easily account for 'TDN Rising Star' Mountain Breeze (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) by two lengths.
A Promising Future for Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria looks a smart filly and makes it two from two, making all under @LeveySean in the Group 3 JenningsBet Sweet Solera Stakes for Aidan O'Brien. Gemma Tutty’s York scorer Elsie’s Ruan was a length further back in third having punched above her weight on just her second start.
Levey was impressed with his mount and said: “She’s not short of speed, but at the same time she stayed that seven (furlongs) strong I thought. Just looking at the screen going across the line and just catching a glimpse of her, she looked and felt decent to be fair. I think she will be a nice filly.”
O’Brien appears blessed with some talented fillies this year with both Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother high in the betting for next season’s Classics, but Lake Victoria is well worth her place in the discussion, with Paddy Power going 12-1 from 16s for next year’s 1000 Guineas and 20-1 from 25s for the Oaks.
Levey continued: “She’s a quality filly and on the back of that, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next. She’s a strong filly with plenty of scope and there’s no doubt she will improve. There’s plenty of speed in the pedigree and on the back of that I think there will be plenty of options. If you look at the pedigrees throughout today alone, at the Curragh and also here, they’re very good pedigrees, very nice horses and she’s obviously up there with the rest of them.”
Levey has starred this season aboard crack miler Rosallion, but was thrilled for the chance to revisit his early days and ride for O’Brien on the big stage, registering his biggest UK success in the famous Coolmore silks of Michael Tabor. Levey added: “It’s been a long time since I rode a winner in these silks and it’s nice to have them back on – they make me look younger when I look at my reflection. I was very privileged and they were very good to me when I was apprenticed to them and I’ve had a good time of things since I moved over here. I’ve always stepped in for the odd spare here and there, but it’s nice to be given the opportunity to ride a good horse like that and win a nice race for them again.”
