The first foal to be born in New Zealand by superstar sire Frankel arrived at Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Stud last night, a bay colt out of Our Echezeaux (Zabeel).

The eagerly awaited colt by the world’s highest-rated horse kept everyone at Pencarrow Stud waiting, arriving days after his due date.

“The foal is a big bay colt with a white star,” commented Stud Manager Leon Casey. “He has plenty of quality and size about him, he looks a nice foal. It was an uneventful foaling with mare, foal and studmaster all doing well.”

Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bred and raced Frankel who now stands at Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket in the United Kingdom, the European headquarters of Prince Khalid's Juddmonte Farm. Our Echezeaux travelled from NZ last year to be served by the champion racehorse.

A son of champion sire Galileo, Frankel was unbeaten in 14 starts, winning 10 Group 1 races and finishing his racing career with a Timeform Rating of 147, the highest in Timeform history. He was trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil throughout his illustrious career in which he gained numerous awards including European Horse of the Year.

Frankel’s dam Kind (Danehill) was a Listed winner and three of her five race winners have been stakes winners, including Frankel’s full-brother and Group 1 winner Noble Mission (Galileo). Kind is by champion sire Danehill who is as potent a broodmare sire as he was a sire of champion racehorses.

Our Echezeaux is by New Zealand’s champion sire Zabeel, a breed-shaping sire in Australasia also noted for his distinguished deeds as a broodmare sire. The Danehill line mated with the Zabeel line is widely recognised as one of the best crosses in the world and is hugely successful in Australasia making this newborn a pedigree buff’s dream.

Our Echezeaux is out of Pencarrow Stud matriarch Richebourg (Vice Regal), the dam of Grand Echezeaux (Zabeel), a Group 1 winner and dam of champion racehorse Darci Brahma (Danehill), and of Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram), the Hong Kong Cup winner and dam of Group 1 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup heroine Ethereal (Rhythm).

Already Our Echezeaux is the dam of two stakes winners – the Group 2 winner and Group 1 placegetter Dolmabache (Redoute’s Choice) and the Group 3 winner Pure Elegance (Redoute’s Choice). Both of those Group winners hail from a Danehill line sire.

Danehill has crossed with great success with Our Echezeaux’s full-sister Grand Echezeaux producing five-time Group 1 winner and successful sire Darci Brahma.

Pencarrow Stud intends to offer the Frankel colt for sale at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2016 National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka.

For media enquiries contact Bevan Smith on (09) 298 0055 or bevan.smith@nzb.co.nz.