Off the mark on debut over seven furlongs at Haydock June 9, Frankuus stayed at that trip for his next three starts and followed a fifth to Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Royal Ascot's Listed Chesham S. nine days later with a third in the Listed Pat Eddery S. back at Ascot July 23 and fourth in Newbury's Listed Washington Singer S. Aug. 13. Upped to a mile to open his black-type account in the Listed Ascendant S. returning to Haydock Sept. 3, the grey showed this extra furlong held no fears with a battling win as TDN Rising Star Waldgeist could manage only third. Settled in second early by Ioritz Mendizabal, the British raider earned the lead approaching the furlong pole and his experience told from there as he held on from the closers Prinz Hlodowig and Waldgeist. “I had no special instructions beforehand, so I just let him go and find his best stride and he relaxed very well and responded very nicely,” his rider explained. “He gave me a very good feel and he has the temperament of a fighter. I think he is good enough for a group 1, but the trainer will make the right decision.”
Frankuus joins his G3 Prix Thomas Bryon-winning half-brother US Law in gaining pattern-race success as a 2-year-old, with that sibling going on to be third in the G1 Criterium International. His speed mostly comes from the second dam, the G1 Phoenix S.-winning highweight Pharaoh's Delight, who was also runner-up in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and third in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup, G1 Nunthorpe S. and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. Her daughter Pharmacist (Ire) (Machiavellian) was also fast, but produced the GI Breeders' Cup Turf and GI Man o' War S. hero and G1 St Leger runner-up Red Rocks (Ire) from a mating with Frankel's sire Galileo. Still to come from Dookus are yearling and foal fillies by Dream Ahead.
Saturday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE CONDE-G3, €80,000, CHY, 10-8, 2yo, 9fT, 1:51.62, gd.
1–@FRANKUUS (IRE), 123, c, 2, by Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Dookus (Ire), by Linamix (Fr)
2nd Dam: Pharaoh's Delight, by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Ridge the Times, by Riva Ridge
(€130,000 Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-Hussain Lootah & Ahmad Al Shaikh; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-Ioritz Mendizabal. €40,000. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 6-3-0-1, €227,687. *1/2 to Us Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), GSW & G1SP-Fr, $436,907. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Prinz Hlodowig (Fr), 123, c, 2, Rajsaman (Fr)–Princess Cheri (Ger), by Mondrian (Ger). (€37,000 Ylg '15 ARQAUG). O-OTI Management Pty Ltd; B-Ecurie Haras des Marais (FR); T-Mikel Delzangles. €16,000.
3–Waldgeist (GB), 123, c, 2, Galileo (IRE) –Waldlerche (GB), by Monsun (Ger). O-Gestut Ammerland, Newsells Park Stud, Michael Tabor & Susan Magnier; B-The Waldlerche Partnership (GB); T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: NK, SHD, 4. Odds: 4.20, 11.00, 1.20.
Also Ran: High Alpha (Fr), Upendi (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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