Cover image supplied
Swettenham Stud has announced that Frankel’s (GB) exceptional Group 1-winning son Diego Velazquez (Ire) will shuttle to their Nagambie operation, commencing in the 2026 breeding season.
Winner of the 1600-metre G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, just like sensational sires Dubawi (Ire) and Kingman (GB), Swettenham Stud are confident that Diego Velazquez will be a welcome addition to the Victorian stallion ranks, where he will provide breeders with unique access to the only Group 1-winning son of global super sire Frankel standing in Australia.
The flashy son of juvenile stakes winner Sweepstake (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) is impeccably bred, and was deservedly a 2.4 million gns (AU$5.16 million) yearling when selling to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm at the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Diego Velazquez (Ire) as a yearling | Image supplied
Diego Velazquez was already the three-quarter-brother to French Group 1 winner Broome (Ire) and Group 2-winning Point Lonsdale (Ire) before he stepped in the ring - and he would prove in time that he is better than both.
All the speed in the world
Named for famed Baroque painter Diego Velázquez, the colt previewed what he would become with a 4.8-length demolition over 1400 metres on debut in the August of his juvenile season. The following month, he would step out to the mile at Leopardstown and never looked in doubt when thundering home to claim the G2 Juvenile Stakes.
At three, Diego Velazquez contested races on either side of the English Channel, and after finishing fourth by a length in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, he returned to Leopardstown in September to dominate the G3 Meld Stakes by an astonishing seven lengths, and add the G2 Solonaway Stakes to his record.
“(Winning jockey) Ryan (Moore) said he's got all the class and all the speed in the world,” O’Brien declared after the Solonaway.
“Ryan (Moore) said he's (Diego Velazquez) got all the class and all the speed in the world.” - Aidan O’Brien
In 2025, Diego Velazquez extended his record with the G2 Minstrel Stakes at The Curragh, and headed to Deauville in August to achieve his much-deserved Group 1 victory in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Maroi, defeating G1 Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Diego Velazquez winning the G1 Prix Jacques Le Maroi | Image supplied
It was a maiden victory in the race for the blue and green silks of the Sangster family, as Sam Sangster Bloodstock had purchased the entire from his previous connections just three days before the race.
“He is a fast son of Frankel,” Sangster said after the race. “But you can see that, physically he's all there, he's all power and quite compact. Aidan said to me before the race that his trip is a mile, so we knew he had that little bit of stamina up his sleeve. But he's quick, he's genuine, he's tough. He's a beauty.”
“He's (Diego Velazquez) quick, he's genuine, he's tough. He's a beauty.” - Sam Sangster
“We always thought the world of Diego Velazquez,” said O’Brien. “He's a very legitimate and desirable horse - he deserved to win his Group 1. He's a great model, and is determined and very brave.”
In his victory, Diego Velazquez joined an elite honour roll of Prix Jacques Le Marois winners, standing alongside Dubawi, Kingman, Dubai Millennium (GB), and Palace Pier (GB).
Connections of Diego Velazquez after his G1 Prix Jacques Le Maroi victory | Image supplied
The stamp of his father
“He's a horse who leaves little to the imagination,” said Sangster upon the announcement of Diego Velazquez’s retirement to stud. “He is the stamp of his father and a top-class racehorse to match. He's done it at Group 2 level across three seasons and was Classic-placed, which gives him a rare depth of form and longevity.”
“He's (Diego Velaquez) a horse who leaves little to the imagination. He is the stamp of his father and a top-class racehorse to match.” - Sam Sangster
Diego Velazquez will spend the first half of 2026 at the National Stud, where Swettenham Stud resident Toronado (Ire) also began his career, before heading south to Swettenham Stud for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.
“Diego Velazquez ticks every box for British breeders,” said National Stud CEO Anna Kerr upon the announcement. “(He has) the physical, the pedigree, and the performance. The market response has been hugely positive, with a lot of inquiries already. This horse will be given every chance to succeed.”
Anna Kerr | Image courtesy of Racing Together
Swettenham Stud Principal Adam Sangster added, “as an industry, we have all been waiting for a fast son of Frankel to stand in Australia, and to purchase the most precocious son of his generation who won the stallion-making European mile was a stroke of genius from my brother Sam.
“To purchase the most precocious son of his generation who won the stallion-making European mile was a stroke of genius from my brother Sam.” - Adam Sangster
“The (Group 1) victory certainly helped facilitate standing Diego Velazquez in Australia for Sam and his partners, as we at Swettenham are very selective in who we stand so that breeders can have the greatest chance of a return on investment.
“There is a tremendous sense of family pride working together with Sam to stand Diego Velazquez. We have already discussed the mares they’re supporting him with in the Northern Hemisphere, and we are incredibly excited about getting behind him with some quality mares in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Adam Sangster | Image supplied
An electric Group winner at two, three, and four, Diego Velazquez combines the greatness of his sire Frankel with the speed and precocity desired by the Australian market. The Swettenham Stud team believe that he offers everything the Australian breeder could want; proven early talent, the ability to train on at the highest level, and the physique to reproduce the same types at stud.
A fee will be announced in due course for Diego Velazquez.
