- Frankel has sired one past Epsom Derby winner
- The 2026 Epsom Derby will see four Frankel colts heading to post
- Frankel currently stands at Banstead Manor Stud for £350,000
Has Frankel Sired The Epsom Derby Winner?
Yes.
The mighty Frankel, who won all 14 of his career races, has sired ONE Epsom Derby winner to date.
Adayar, who won the Derby in 2021 for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin is Frankel’s only Epsom Derby-winning offspring.
The Godolphin colt became Frankel’s first winner of the world’s most famous Classic and gave the champion stallion a landmark success at Epsom.
In fact, Adayar’s victory was especially significant because Frankel had gone close before with several high-class runners, including Cracksman, Eminent and Hurricane Lane, but none had managed to win the Derby itself.
In 2021, Adayar finally broke through and delivered Frankel’s first Derby winner. Frankel also sired the third-placed Hurricane Lane in the same race.
Frankel’s Best Derby Results as a Sire
- 2017 Cracksman 3rd
- 2017 Eminent 4th
- 2021 Adayar 1st
- 2021 Hurricane Lane 3rd
- 2022 Westover 3rd
- 2024 Ambiente Friendly 2nd
Meaning Adayar remains Frankel’s sole Epsom Derby winner, although the stallion has also produced numerous Classic winners, including Oaks winner Anapurna and St Leger winner Logician.
Did Frankel Ever Run In The Epsom Derby?
Interestingly, Frankel himself never ran in the Derby.
Despite winning the 2,000 Guineas in spectacular style, trainer Sir Henry Cecil chose to keep him to shorter distances rather than test him over Epsom’s demanding mile-and-a-half trip.
With the longest trip he won over being 1m 2 1/2f, when he landed the Juddmonte International at York in 2012 (watch below),
Epsom Derby Runners Sired By Frankel
This year there are FOUR Frankel colts set to run in the 2026 Epsom Derby.
Including the Derby betting odds favourite Benvenuto Cellini, who is trained by Aidan O’Brien.
Benvenuto Cellini was last see winning the Chester Vase (watch below) – the same race last year’s Epsom Derby winner Lambourn won.
And will be bidding to give his trainer Aidan O’Brien a remarkable twelfth Derby win.
Item, who was an impressive winner of the Dante Stakes is another Frankel colt in the Derby line-up.
He’ll be looking to give trainer Andrew Balding a first win in the race and heads to post unbeaten in three.
Ancient Egypt and Action are the two other Derby Frankel colts – meaning there will be four horses running with a close family link and they probably don’t even know it.
- Benvenuto Cellini
- Item
- Ancient Egypt
- Action
Frankel: Racing Profile, Major Wins and Records
Frankel is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of the modern era.
Trained by the legendary Sir Henry Cecil for owner-breeder Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation, the son of Galileo retired unbeaten after winning all 14 of his career starts between 2010 and 2012.
Frankel: Key Facts
- Foaled: 11 February 2008
- Sire: Galileo
- Dam: Kind (by Danehill)
- Trainer: Sir Henry Cecil
- Jockey: Tom Queally
- Race Record: 14 runs, 14 wins
- Career Earnings: £2,998,302
- Major Wins
As a Two-Year-Old (2010)
- Royal Lodge Stakes (G2)
- Dewhurst Stakes (G1)
As a Three-Year-Old (2011)
- 2,000 Guineas (G1)
- St James’s Palace Stakes (G1)
- Sussex Stakes (G1)
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1)
As a Four-Year-Old (2012)
- Lockinge Stakes (G1)
- Queen Anne Stakes (G1)
- Sussex Stakes (G1)
- Juddmonte International Stakes (G1)
- Champion Stakes (G1)
Frankel – Notable Records and Achievements
- Retired unbeaten after winning all 14 career starts.
- Timeform rating of 147, the highest ever awarded by the organisation.
- Rated the world’s best racehorse by the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.
- European Horse of the Year in both 2011 and 2012.
- Produced one of the most dominant Classic victories in history when winning the 2,000 Guineas by six lengths.
- Has gone on to become one of the most influential stallions in world racing, siring Derby winners Adayar and Hurricane Lane, Arc heroine Alpinista, Oaks winner Anapurna and numerous other Group 1 performers.
Where Does Frankel Stand at Stud and What Is His 2026 Stud Fee?
Following his retirement at the end of the 2012 season, Frankel began his stallion career at Banstead Manor Stud, Juddmonte’s flagship breeding operation in Cheveley, near Newmarket, England, where he remains based today.
For the 2026 breeding season, Frankel’s stud fee has been set at £350,000 (Special Live Foal terms), maintaining his position among the most expensive and sought-after stallions in the world.
His fee reflects an extraordinary stud career that has seen him become:
- A multiple-time leading sire in Britain and Ireland.
- The sire of dozens of Group 1 winners worldwide.
- One of the most commercially valuable stallions in the global Thoroughbred industry.
Today, Frankel remains the flagship stallion on the Juddmonte roster and continues to attract elite mares from around the world, reinforcing his status as one of the most influential bloodstock sires of the 21st century.
