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23rd winner in Australia for Juddmonte Farm’s stallion Frankel.

Frankel (Galileo) sired his 23rd winner in Australasia on Wednesday when his Chris Waller-trained son Yangtze Rapids (3 g ex Kahara River by Bushranger) won the Sky Racing Active Maiden Handicap (1550m) at Canterbury. 

Frankel enjoyed a good day in Australia on Saturday with Hungry Heart adding a second Group 1 to her resume in the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) while Converge won the Fernhill Stakes (Listed, 1600m) bringing his sires global stakes winners tally to 63. 

A homebred for Yulong Investments, Yangtze Rapids was sent straight to the front by James McDonald and pulled away to an impressive two and three quarter length victory in a time of 1:32.56. It was a 1-2-3 for the Waller stable with Quiet Michael (Contributer) finishing second with another two and a half lengths back to Kahuka (Lord Kanaloa) in third. 

Waller said after the race that Yangtze Rapids would now head towards the Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) which will be run at Eagle Farm on June 5. 

"I think a better track was the key for a better performance today," Waller said.

"A nice ride helped. We think he is a nice stayer and we will step him up in distance and hopefully get another good track next start.

"The Yulong crew are good to train for. They listen and have been patient with them, and another by Frankel so it has been a good few days for them.

"We have the Queensland Derby in mind for him. It would have been nice to get the maiden a bit sooner, but he will go on with it and the further he goes the better he will get,"

Yangtze Rapids has now raced eight times for one win and four placings. Passed in for $300,000 when offered by Segenhoe Stud at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, he becomes the first winner for his unraced dam, Kahara River (Bushranger), who was herself bought by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock and Yulong Investments for 55,000gns at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale. At that same sale Mills and Yulong bought 12 lots together including Hungry Heart's dam Harlech (Pivotal) for 60,000gns from the draft of Godolphin. 

Kahara River is a half sister to Group 3 winner Perugina (Highest Honor) and the stakes placed Sovana (Desert King) who herself produced Irish Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed filly Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob). 

Kahara River was covered by Yulong's Alabama Express (Redoute's Choice) last September having produced a colt by Grunt (O'Reilly). 

Frankel has now sired 23 winners in Australia and New Zealand from 35 runners, a strike rate of 66 per cent, while his stakes winners to runners strike rate is an impressive 20 per cent.