Royal Ascot kicked off on Tuesday with a double for Frankel. His first winner, Without Parole, captured the St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) by a ½ length over the determinedly-closing Gustav Klimt (a Galileo/Danehill cross, like Frankel). This rather recalled Frankel’s own St. James’s Palace, when he held off the fast-finishing Zoffany, trained like Gustav Klimt, by Aiden O’Brien. Bred owned by John Gunther and his daughter Tanya – Canadians who own Glenwood Farm in Kentucky and also bred Justify – Without Parole now boasts a record of four wins in four starts, all at a mile.

Without Parole is out of the unraced Lemon Drop Kid mare, Without You Babe, also the dam of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and Godolphin Mile (G2) winner, Tamarkuz. Without You Babe is half-sister to three stakes winners, headed by Stay Thirsty, whose successes include the Travers Stakes (G1) and Cigar Mile (G1), and Andromeda’s Hero, a group winner who also took second in the Belmont Stakes (G1). The second dam, Marozia, is by Storm Bird, out of the Roberto mare, Make Change, a stakes winner who was also runner-up in five grade one events. The family goes back to a sister to Triple Crown winner Assault, and thence to Masda, a stakes winning sister to none other than Man o’ War.

Pro tem leader of the three-year-old miler division, Without Parole will likely tackle his elders in the Sussex Stakes (G1) as his next assignment. He is one of three stakes winners by Frankel out of Kingmambo line mares, from only seven starters. This is a version of the Galileo/Kingmambo cross which already has 17 stakes winners to its name, also including the 2013 Epsom Derby (G1) captor Ruler of the World. Galileo is a Sadler’s Wells/Mr. Prospector cross, and Kingmambo is a Mr. Prospector/Nureyev (three-quarters brother to Sadler’s Wells) cross.

Frankel’s other winner on the day was Juddmonte four-year-old Monarchs Glen in the listed Wolferton Stakes over ten furlongs. Monarchs Glen – who won the Darley Stakes (G3) last year – is out of the Lear Fan mare, Mirabilis a listed winner and group one placed in Europe and a graded winner in the U.S. She is half-sister to Nebraska Tornado, who took the French Oaks (G1) and Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1). The granddam, Media Nox (by Lycius) was another to enjoy success on both sides of the Atlantic, taking the Prix du Bois (G3) and Buena Vista Handicap (G2).

Frankel now has 25 stakes winners in his first two crops, with Without Parole joining Cracksman as his second European group one winner (with Japanese stars, Soul Stirring and Mozu Ascot, bringing his total at the highest level to four). He also has four group two winners, and 11 group/grade three winners.

There were two other group one events on Royal Ascot’s first Day, the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) over a mile, taken by long-shot Accidental Agent, and the five furlong King’s Stand Stakes (G1), which went to Blue Point. Accidental Agent – who was winning his first black-type event – is a four-year-old from the first crop of the now deceased Dansili stallion, Delegator. He won the Duke of York Stakes (G2) sprinting, the Craven Stakes (G3) over a mile, and also took second in the 2,000 Guineas (G1) and St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1). The dam, Roodle, a daughter of Xaar, is half-sister to Prize Exhibit, a four-time graded winner in the U.S. Her dam, stakes placed Roodeye (Inchinoor), is a three-quarters sister to the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) scorer Bannister, and is out of a half-sister the Dansili mare, Runaway Dancer, the dam of the Middle Park Stakes (G1) scorer Astaire. Accidental Agent is a product of the Dansili/Zafonic cross that has produced six other stakes winners, including group one scorer Zambezi Sun. There are two more group winners by Dansili out of mares by Zamindar, a brother to Zafonic.

Blue Point who covered Ascot’s uphill five furlongs in a very swift :58.14 was capturing his first group one event. He was a smart two-year-old, winning the Gimcrack Stakes (G2), and taking second in the Middle Park Stakes (G1) and Richmond Stakes (G1), and third in the Dewhurst Stakes (G1). Last year he added wins in the Pavilion Stakes (G3) – defeating Harry Angel – and Bengough Stakes (G3), and finished third to Carravaggio in the Commonwealth Stakes (G1) at the Royal Meeting.

Blue Point is the fastest son of Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway), a European Champion Two-Year-Old and French 2,000 Guineas (G1) and French Derby (G1) winner. Now restricted to Maktoum mares, Shamardal has been a tremendously successful sire in both hemispheres with 118 stakes, sixty group or graded, and 20 group and grade one, including a very successful young sire in Lope de Vega.

Blue Point’s dam, Scarlett Rose (by Royal Applause) is also dam of the Railway Stakes (G3) winner, Formosina, who is by another Giant’s Causeway son, Footstepsinthesand. Scarlett Rose is half-sister to the fast Indian Ridge horse Tumbleweed Ridge, a five-time group winner, and to Tumbleweed Pearl, whose daughter Gilded won the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) and Royal Ascot, and subsequently produced sprint group winner Fort Del Oro (by Lope de Vega). Shamardal is a grandson of Storm Cat, a Northern Dancer/Bold Ruler cross, and Royal Applause is bred on an extended version of this cross. As the top speedster from his popular sire line, and with wins over superstar sprinters Harry Angel and Battaash (which he achieved here), Blue Point looks like a very interesting sire prospect.

The Coventry Stakes (G2), for two-year-olds over six furlongs, saw favored Calyx account for 22 rivals. The Juddmonte-bred Calyx only debuted nine days earlier, impressing when scoring by five lengths at Newmarket. Calyx is from the first crop of Kingman (Invincible Spirit), a brilliant miler who won seven of eight lifetime starts, including the Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1), Sussex Stakes (G1), St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) and Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1). He’s also a close relative to the highly-successful Oasis Dream.

Helleborine, the dam of Calyx, is by Observatory (by the Mr. Prospector horse, Distant View). She was a group winner at two in France, and is a sister to African Rose, who took the Doncaster Sprint Cup (G1), and subsequently produced Fair Eva, successful in the Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot in 2016. The second dam, New Orchid, a stakes placed daughter of Quest For Fame is half-sister to the good Distant View colt, Distant Music, successful in four group events, including the Dewhurst Stakes (G1). The third dam, Musicanti, is a Nijinsky II half-sister to Vanlandingham, who took the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), Suburban Handicap (G1) and Washington DC International (G1), and is out of Populi, also ancestress of the CCA Oaks (G1) victress, Funny Moon, and Champion Irish Two-Year-Old Filly  Termagant.