Juddmonte Farms super sire Frankel is edging close to his century of stakes-winners and racked up number 98 in the US on the weekend when he delivered the quinella in the Group I Belmont Oaks Invitational (2000m) on turf.
The Chad Brown filly McKulick ran out a length and three-quarter winner over Godolphin homebred Frankel filly With the Moonlight.
Group placed three times from four starts previously, McKulick was overdue for a stakes win and has now won two of five starts.
Purchased for 180,000 guineas from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by Mike Ryan for Klaravich Stables, McKulick is a half-sister to Group winners Fearless King and Just Beautiful, so is the third stakes-winner from three foals to race from Group III placed Makfi mare Astrelle.
Runner-up With the Moonlight is a full sister to Group I winner Dream Castle and is bred along similar lines to the winner being from a daughter of Dubawi, who is the sire of Makfi, damsire of McKulick.
Frankel is establishing a real affinity with Dubawi line mares and the two sires combine in the pedigrees of seven stakes-winners to date, four of them Group I winners, McKulick joining Adayar, Homeless Songs and Dream Castle.
Australian Frankel stakes-winner My Whisper also fits the profile being from a daughter of Dubawi son Poet’s Voice.
