Palace Pier Half Brother Castle Way Debuts Aug. 12

It was this time 12 years ago that the phenomenal Frankel  made his first racecourse appearance and, while it is wishful thinking that any of the runners in 'his' maiden at Newmarket Aug. 12 will emulate the unbeaten dual world champion, there are plenty with more than appealing pedigrees. 

Take, for instance, Godolphin's Almanzor  newcomer Castle Way. The colt is the sixth foal out of Beach Frolic and is therefore a half brother to champion miler and now Dalham Hall Stud resident Palace Pier . 

There are similarities between the pair as both sold from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with Palace Pier selling to John Gosden for 600,000 guineas (US$824,859) from the premier auction in 2018. His half brother made 425,000 guineas ($606,138) at last year's sale, when also consigned by Highclere. 

The Highclere and Floors Farming-bred colt will have plenty to live up to as Palace Pier went unbeaten in two starts at 2 before notching up a sequence of group 1 successes at 3 and 4. They included the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1), the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1) twice, the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1), and the Queen Anne (G1).

The son of Kingman  was retired for the 2022 breeding season after a close second to the brilliant and unbeaten Baaeed  in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot last autumn, a race he was third in the previous year. He covered a quality first book this season for a fee of £55,000.

Palace Pier and Castle Way are also related to the winning Invincible Spirit  filly Tatweej, while Beach Frolic produced a full sister to Palace Pier this year.

The Nayef mare, a half sister to Betfred Dante Stakes (G2) winner and Criterium International (G1) third Bonfire, plus Ascot group 2 scorer Joviality, sold to M.V. Magnier for 2,200,000gns ($3,077,806) from the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2020. 

Among Castle Way's eight rivals are two fellow Godolphin-owned runners in Lenormand and Al Wasl Dream. The former, who was sixth on his debut at Newbury, is a half brother to Australian group 1 winner Best of Days, while the latter is an Invincible Spirit colt out of a Dubawi  half sister to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) scorer Outstrip.

Other notable runners in the mile maiden, in which Frankel beat now fellow successful sire Nathaniel by half a length, include Ndaawi, Sultan Ali's Cracksman  colt and a half brother to listed winner Lava Flow, the dam of Godolphin's record-breaking champion 2-year-old and now sire Pinatubo ; and Night Life, a once-raced daughter of Nathaniel  from the family of group 1 winner Journey. She is a homebred of Pineapple Stud.