First Starter, First Winner for Frankel
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Photo: Courtesy Newbury Racecourse
Cunco, Frankel's first foal and first winner, at Newbury May 13
Frankel's first foal, Cunco, met all the expectations in his first start in the second race at Newbury in Great Britain, winning the six-furlong Starlight Raceday Maiden Stakes by a length.
"Cunco did not fluff his lines," said the Newbury track announcer.
The 7/2 favorite got a patient ride in the midst of a field of six other challengers. In the last furlong jockey Robert Havlin and Cunco easily took control over Isomer. The colt is trained by John Gosden.
"He was a bit free but relaxed into the race and I couldn't have been more pleased," Havlin told Racing Post after the race. "He was where I wanted to be, but they didn't go very fast and a few just got first run on me and he had a bit to do. He took a few strides to hit top gear, but I'd say he had a few more gears left."
"He'll definitely get seven furlongs and the way he relaxed you could see him getting a mile," the rider said.
The final time on a soft to good course was 1:16.40.
Cunco is raced by international owner/breeder Don Alberto, which has Thoroughbred operations in Chile, the United States, and England. Don Alberto became Cunco's breeder of record after it acquired his dam Chrysanthemum (by Danehill Dancer) soon after she'd sold through the 2013 Tattersalls December Mare sale for 800,000 guineas (US$1,373,820) to Eaton Sales.
The colt was foaled at Coolmore Stud in Ireland and Chrysanthemum was bred back to Coolmore's Galileo, who is two-time European Horse of Year Frankel's sire. The mare now has a yearling colt by Galileo, a weanling filly by Australia, and has been confirmed back in foal this year to Galileo.