Frankel unearthed another potential Epsom Derby contender overnight in the UK.
A homebred for Godolphin, Nahanni was not entered for the Group I Epsom Derby in June, but in winning the Listed Epsom Blue Riband Trial (1m2f) has gained automatic entry to the race.
Nahanni was too good for a pair of Churchill colts in Grand Alliance and Zain Sarinda.
Charlie Appleby won the Epsom Derby last year with Frankel colt Adayar and now Nahanni may be afforded the ropportunity to repeat the success.
“He was the one without an entry in the Derby so we thought we should give it a go. We always knew he was going to get a mile and a half and it was just nice to see him handle the track,” said Alex Merriam, assistant trainer.
“He's had four runs and will probably be put away for the Derby. We're a long way out but he gets an entry after winning, but there's lots of water to be crossed.”
Unraced at two, Nahanni made his debut on January 8 and now has three wins and a second from four starts.
A Godolphin homebred, Nahanni is the 89th stakes-winner for Frankel and is the best of two winners from Final Stage, a winning half-sister by Street Cry to Group I winners Kirklees and Mastery.
The same family is also responsible for Godolphin’s Frankel filly Wild Beauty, who was a Group I winner in Canada last season and resumed to win the Group III Fred Darling Stakes last week.
Stats for Frankel over daughters of Street Cry are impressive with five winners from seven runners with three of those winners being stakes-winners, while a further two are stakes-placed and include promising Australian 2YO Rampant Lion.
