Group glory boosts Eminent’s stallion status
SIR Peter Vela’s huge admiration for Frankel has been further repaid with the unbeaten champion’s son Eminent adding a Group Two victory in France to his record.
The New Zealand Bloodstock and Pencarrow Stud principal is the owner of the three-year-old, which dominated the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano from the front on Tuesday night in a slick 2.02.26 at Deauville.
Previously successful in the Group Three Craven Stakes and fourth in the Group One English Derby, Eminent’s performances have drawn serious attention to his future stud prospects, potentially in New Zealand.
“It’s in the back of Sir Peter’s mind,” Pencarrow manager Leon Casey said.
“It’s a fantastic result and Sir Peter has been a massive fan of Frankel right from the get go.
“He sent a couple of mares to him in the first season and one of his mares Assume, a daughter of Fastnet Rock, is due to foal to him this year.”
Eminent is out of the Group One-placed Kingmambo mare You’ll Be Mine, whose dam Quarter Moon is by Sadler’s Wells and won the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Casey believes Eminent has stud potential anywhere in the world.
“The horse has pretty much made a strong stallion case even now in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere,” he said.
“His pedigree is outstanding.”
Trained by Martyn Meade at Newmarket, Eminent was ridden by champion jockey Ryan Moore and Group One options now include the Champion Stakes at Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
“Now we have seen what he’s really made of,” Meade said.
“I’m thrilled to bits and it’s a race that suited him down to the ground, got his confidence going and proved that he’s the horse we always thought he was. He’ll go to Ascot or maybe come back here in October.”