Will Frankel's Success Boost F-T Yearlings?

During the 2014 breeding season, Nancy Mazzoni and Lawrence Goichman were among the U.S. breeders that sent mares overseas to be bred to Juddmonte Farm’s outstanding European champion Frankel.

Named for the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, Frankel entered stud the previous year at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Farm in England for a fee of £125,000, after a career in which he was undefeated in 14 starts and was tabbed the World’s Best Racehorse by the International Horse Racing Federation.

In addition to the hefty stud fee that was roughly the equivalent of $200,000 at the time and the cost of shipping the mares abroad, the decisions by Mazzoni and Goichman were not without a measure of risk, especially since Frankel’s first horses had not yet reached the races.

Now two years later, the breeders are poised to recoup their investments plus some, as the offspring from the matings of those two mares are scheduled to go through the sales ring during the Aug. 8-9 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale.

The timing couldn’t be better, as Frankel’s first crop is racing lights out, with the son of Galileo represented by eight winners from 10 starters, including group III winner Fair Eva.

"It couldn't be any better," said Mazzoni, the breeder of a Frankel colt produced from the champion millionaire She Be Wild (by Offlee Wild), consigned as Hip 148 by Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales.

Mazzoni said consultant Les Brinsfield advised the best mating in 2014 for her mare would either be Tapit   or Frankel. Since Mazzoni already had two Tapit foals out of the mare, she decided to try to get the mare mated with Frankel. With the assistance of David Ingordo, who also advises the Mazzonis, the mare was accepted for Frankel's first book.

"When we heard the news she was accepted, we were overjoyed," Mazzoni said. "Of course, there was the factor of the 2-year-olds not getting out there and running the way they are. If he didn't prove himself right out of the gate, it could have been a risky situation. Fortunately he has done better than anybody could have expected."

Now Mazzoni and her husband, Mike Mazzoni, hope the filly does as well as a filly out of She Be Wild they sold at the 2014 Saratoga sale. Also consigned by Bluewater, the filly by Tapit hit a home run for the breeder when sold for $1.15 million.

The other Frankel yearling on offer at Saratoga this year is a filly bred by Lawrence Goichman and produced from his broodmare J'ray, a daughter of Juddmonte stallion Distant View who was a grade II winner in Canada before being retired with nine wins in 26 starts and earnings of nearly $970,000. The filly is consigned by Indian Creek as Hip 65.

"You have to be lucky and send over a wonderfully qualified mare," Goichman said of J'Ray. "Frankel had impeccable credentials. He was by Galileo and was undefeated and from a pedigree point of view, with her bloodlines, I felt it would work well.

"It was about $200,000 for the stud fee and that was a big risk. I couldn't be happier. We have a lovely individual and hopefully the market will appreciate her as much as we do. She has great balance, is a great mover, is out of a great broodmare, and by a great sire."