The incomparable Frankel
Racing royalty of the equine variety will be in attendance at Kensington Palace on Monday evening (16 June 2014) at Goffs London Sale in association with QIPCO, when a foal sired by the world’s greatest racehorse, Frankel, becomes the first in the world to be sold.
The unnamed colt will be the final lot of the inaugural auction on the eve of Royal Ascot and will be sold with his mother, Crystal Gaze, who is expecting her second foal by Frankel, early next year. The mare and foal are expected to sell for a seven figure sum.
The foal is regally bred, having been fathered by Frankel, who became one of the most sought after stallions when he retired from the racetrack in 2012 following a 14 race unbeaten career. Such is the desire for Frankel’s bloodlines that he commands a fee of £125,000 for each mare that is sent to him and some commentators estimate him to be worth £125 million.
The foal’s damline is already proven, with Crystal Gaze having produced Caspian Prince, winner of the Investec Dash on Derby Day at Epsom, and Group 2 winner Spirit Quartz, who was beaten by a nose in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes.
David Redvers of Tweenhills Farm
Crystal Gaze is being offered with her unnamed Frankel colt, born on 18th March 2014, at foot and she is in foal to Frankel again with a last service date of 16th April. They are being consigned by Tweenhills Farm & Stud and will be auctioned as Lot 65, the final lot of the Kensington Palace sale. Click here to view their catalogue page.
The pair were made available for viewing between 12 noon and 3pm in a specially prepared area at Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday 14th June (see below), and will be paraded again for their sale at The Orangery at Kensington Palace on Monday. They will be the only Lot present at the sale.
David Redvers, owner and manager of Tweenhills said: “He is a very handsome colt with huge presence and great action. He has what I would call a typical Frankel temperament in that he knows he is special and really owns the show. At this stage he looks like a speedy type, which is no surprise given his mother has bred some excellent sprint winners.”
Henry Beeby, Chief Executive of Goffs, said: “Monday 16th of June will be a day of firsts. Goffs will hold the first thoroughbred racehorse sale in Central London, which will climax with the first foal by the greatest racehorse ever, Frankel, to be sold at public auction anywhere in the world. The sale location is stunning and so is the foal.”
Unnamed Frankel colt out of Crystal Gaze
Carter Carnegie, International Executive of Great British Racing International, said: “The first sale taking place at a Royal Palace in central London, is a unique and exciting concept and it seems very fitting that it offers the first chance to buy a son of the world’s greatest racehorse. Frankel was the horse of a lifetime, and the chance to buy this mare who is back in foal to such a great champion and with one of his first crop of foals at foot is something that will draw buyers from all over the world.”
Philip Mitchell, General Manager of Juddmonte Farms, who bred Frankel, said: “This is really exciting news and typical of the innovation being shown by the team behind the Goffs London Sale, in association with QIPCO. The first foal by Frankel, the world’s greatest racehorse, to be sold at public auction together with his dam who is back in foal to Frankel, is a unique opportunity and is most definitely the complete Frankel package!”
The Goffs London Sale in association with QIPCO catalogue offers a selection of Breeze Up two year olds as well as Horses In Training that includes 20 with Royal Ascot entries. A lifetime breeding right to Invincible Spirit will also be offered for auction as the penultimate Lot.
It is also possible for interested parties to watch the sale live and bid from Kempton Park Racecourse on Monday as entry to The Orangery is by invitation only due to limited capacity at Kensington Palace.
The full catalogue is available here.
