Soul Stirring becomes first top-level winner for Frankel

The icing was put on the cake of Frankel's flying start to his stallion career when daughter Soul Stirring became his first top-level winner in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in Japan on Sunday.

Trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, the filly was kept handy by jockey Christophe Lemaire as the field broke from the stalls.

Entering the home straight, she was travelling easily and burst through on the far side rail to take the lead a furlong from home. She duly pulled clear of her rivals to win by a length and a quarter.

It is not the first time that Soul Stirring has provided her sire with a notable first as when she won on her debut at Sapporo in July she was the debut winner outside of Europe for the Banstead Manor Stud phenomenon.

Lemaire told the Japan Racing Association: "I'm ecstatic. It's so special because I used to also ride her dam Stacelita.

"I was confident from the beginning and we were in a good position and she was relaxed. She easily hit the front at the stretch with her big stride and stamina. I think she can go a little bit further in distance."

Soul Stirring was bred by Shadai Farm out of Stacelita, a ten-year-old daughter of Monsun who notched six victories at Group/Grade 1 level during her career.

She is a half-sister to the John Gosden-trained Southern Stars, who landed a 1m2f maiden at Sandown in April.

Frankel, who will stand at an unchanged fee of £125,000 for 2017, has supplied 18 individual winners since his first crop of two-year-olds hit the track this year.

That number includes Group 2 heroine Queen Kindly and the Group 3-winning trio Frankuus, Fair Eva and Toulifaut.

Hot on the heels of Soul Stirring's victory at the highest level, Frankel's Grade 3-winning daughter Mi Suerte will bid for success in next Sunday's Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes and could cap a fantastic week for the dual world champion.