Frankel needed only 14 races to become one of the most famous racehorses of the modern age, but the success of Frankel offspring has become just as impressive. More than a decade after his final appearance on a racecourse, his influence on the sport is still growing.
The great Juddmonte stallion has now reached 43 individual Group 1 winners, with Item becoming the latest horse to join the list following his victory in the Juddmonte International at York in August 2026.
It is another major landmark for a stallion whose offspring have now won at the highest level across Britain, Ireland, France, Japan, Australia, Canada, the United States and elsewhere.
For racing fans, breeders and owners, the most striking part is not simply the number. Frankel continues to produce top-class horses of very different types, from two-year-old winners and Classic horses to stayers and older horses capable of remaining at the top for several seasons.
From Unbeaten Champion to Champion Sire
Frankel retired at the end of 2012 having won all 14 of his races, including ten at Group 1 level. His victories included the 2,000 Guineas, Queen Anne Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International and Champion Stakes. Juddmonte records that Timeform rated him 147, the highest figure it had awarded to a racehorse.
There was never any guarantee that brilliance on the racecourse would be passed to his offspring.
Yet Frankel quickly began answering those doubts.
His first winner at the highest level was Soul Stirring, who won Japan’s Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2016 before adding the Japanese Oaks the following year. His first European Group 1 winner followed in 2017 when Cracksman won the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Cracksman eventually won four Group 1 races, but he was only the start.
Horses such as Adayar, Hurricane Lane, Alpinista, Inspiral, Westover, Nashwa, Chaldean, Mostahdaf and Lake Victoria followed, making Frankel a regular presence in many of the world’s biggest Flat races.
Frankel’s 43 Group 1 Winners
The first 40 were Soul Stirring, Cracksman, Mozu Ascot, Without Parole, Call The Wind, Dream Castle, Anapurna, Veracious, Logician, Quadrilateral, Mirage Dancer, Grenadier Guards, Hungry Heart, Adayar, Converge, Hurricane Lane, Snow Lantern, Alpinista, Wild Beauty, Inspiral, Homeless Songs, Nashwa, Westover, McKulick, Onesto, Chaldean, Jannah Rose, Soul Sister, Triple Time, Mostahdaf, Courage Mon Ami, Kelina, Ylang Ylang, Measured Time, Lake Victoria, Candelari, Minnie Hauk, El Cordobes, Diego Velazquez and Sir Delius. Juddmonte published that complete 40-strong list after Sir Delius reached the landmark in 2025.
The number has increased quickly during 2026.
Thundering On became number 41 when winning the Oaks at Epsom in June. The filly provided owner-breeder Shapoor Mistry with a first British Classic victory and continued Frankel’s fine record in the race.
Just weeks later, Benvenuto Cellini became number 42 by winning the Irish Derby at the Curragh for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. The colt is out of the brilliant Newspaperofrecord, making him a particularly interesting example of what happens when Frankel is paired with another top-class racing family.
Then came Item.
Trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Colin Keane, the three-year-old defeated Almaqam in a thrilling Juddmonte International at York on August 19. There was a nice sense of history to the result because Frankel himself had produced one of his most famous performances in the same race 14 years earlier.
The Numbers Behind Frankel’s Progeny Success
The 43 figure refers to individual winners, rather than the total number of Group 1 races won by his offspring.
That distinction matters because several Frankel horses have won repeatedly at the highest level. Alpinista, Inspiral and Cracksman are obvious examples, while Lake Victoria won four top-level races between her two and three-year-old seasons.
Juddmonte’s latest figures, updated on August 24, 2026, show just how broad Frankel’s record has become. He has produced 43 Group 1 winners, 14 Northern Hemisphere Classic winners and 118 Northern Hemisphere Group winners. Some 12 per cent of his Northern Hemisphere runners have become Group winners, while 18 per cent have won black-type races.
Those are extraordinary figures for any stallion.
His current stud fee reflects that position. Frankel stands at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud for £350,000, putting him well beyond the breeding plans of most smaller owners. His yearlings are also some of the most expensive horses at the major sales. Three of his yearlings made seven-figure sums at Tattersalls Book 1 in 2025, including a colt sold for 3.6 million guineas.
How Frankel Is Shaping Future Generations
For most people involved in syndicates or racing clubs, owning a direct son or daughter of Frankel is unlikely. The price alone puts most of his offspring at the very top end of the market.
His influence, however, is starting to spread much further through racing pedigrees.
Group 1-winning sons such as Cracksman and Chaldean have gone to stud, while Frankel is becoming increasingly important as a broodmare sire. Juddmonte already lists Group 1 winners Sparkling Plenty, Lead Artist and Zarigana among horses produced from Frankel mares.
That means his name will appear further back in the pedigrees of more affordable horses over the coming years.
It is one of the fascinating things about racehorse breeding. A superstar stallion who today commands £350,000 for a nomination can eventually influence horses racing at almost every level of the sport.
Frankel’s own racing career lasted only three seasons. His second career has already lasted far longer, and with new crops still coming through, 43 individual Group 1 winners is unlikely to be the final number.
