Like father, like son for Frankel colt
UNBEATABLE Frankel carried his unblemished racing record into his stallion career when first runner Cunco won at Newbury.
Despite starting at odds of 7-2 after being weak in the betting, the John Gosdentrained colt quickened smartly under jockey Rab Havlin to win by three-quarters of a length from Isomer.
Frankel, the superhorse whose stud fee is £125,000, was never beaten in 14 races and sired 111 foals in his first crop. First-born Cunco arrived on January 11, the birthday of his late trainer Sir Henry Cecil. Cunco’s dam Chrysanthemum was a six-time winner but when he was offered for sale last October, he was led out of the Tattersalls sales ring unsold after bidding stopped at 280,000 guineas. Now racing for South American breeders, the Don Alberto Corporation, Cunco could head to Royal Ascot. Bookmakers Paddy Power make him 6-1 favourite for the Chesham Stakes. Gosden and Frankie Dettori chase Classic glory in France tomorrow when Crazy Horse and Nathra respectively represent them in the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas staged this year at Deauville. Leading fancy for the French 2,000 Guineas is another colt with impeccable pedigree. Unbeaten Zarak, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, is a son of sire Dubawi with his dam being Zarkava, the unbeaten mare who won the French 1,000, French Oaks and Arc in 2008.