Ahead of his peers with timing of first Group 1 winner

Frankel has beaten all bar one of this year's leading sires in Europe by prize-money to supply a first Group 1 winner, comparing their respective careers.

His own sire, perennial champion Galileo, passed the milestone when first-crop daughter Nightime won the Irish 1,000 Guineas in May 2006.

Dubawi and Shamardal also achieved the feat with first-crop Classic winners in May, with Makfi and Lope De Vega (although Shamardal's first Australian crop had yielded Crown Oaks winner Faint Perfume before then).

Sea The Stars' first Group 1 winner Vazira also struck in the May of his sophomore season, although that came retrospectively on the disqualification of We Are in the Prix Saint-Alary.

Frankel has not managed to beat his breed-shaping grandfather Sadler's Wells – the sire of Galileo – who set the tone for a stupendous stallion career by supplying dead-heaters Prince Of Dance and Scenic in the Dewhurst Stakes in his first crop.

The accompanying table serves as a reminder that not having a first-season two-year-old Group 1 winner is no bar to becoming an elite-level sire; of this year's top ten in Europe, only Acclamation had achieved that with Middle Park Stakes winner Dark Angel.

It is also worth pointing out that a first-crop two-year-old Group 1 winner is not always the harbinger of a successful stallion career.

The likes of Dubai Destination, Henrythenavigator, Oratorio, Rip Van Winkle and Strategic Prince managed it but fell out of favour with British and Irish Flat breeders.

WHEN THIS YEAR'S LEADING SIRES IN EUROPE HAD THEIR FIRST G1 WINNERS

Stallion Date Winner, race

Galileo May of sophomore season Nightime, Irish 1,000 Guineas

Dubawi May of sophomore season Makfi, 2,000 Guineas

Sea The Stars May of sophomore season Vazira, Prix Saint-Alary

Shamardal May of sophomore season Lope De Vega, Poule d'Essai des Poulains*

Invincible Spirit June of sophomore season Lawman, Prix du Jockey Club

Dark Angel June of third season Lethal Force, Diamond Jubilee Stakes

Pivotal June of sophomore season Silvester Lady, Preis der Diana

Acclamation October of freshman season Dark Angel, Middle Park Stakes

Le Havre May of sophomore season Avenir Certain, Poule d'Essai des Pouliches

Kodiac September of fifth season Tiggy Wiggy, Cheveley Park Stakes

*First European Group 1 winner