The multiple Group 2 winner Diego Velazquez is set to take up stallion duties at the National Stud in 2026, following his purchase by Sam Sangster Bloodstock on behalf of a syndicate.
The son of Frankel will continue his racing career in the care of trainer Aidan O'Brien but will run in the renowned Sangster silks for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Last seen winning the G2 Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh, Diego Velazquez is set to make his next appearance in Sunday's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, with further international Group 1 opportunities on the radar in the autumn.
“He is a horse that requires little imagination; he is the stamp of his father and a top-class racehorse to boot,” said Sangster. “He is a multiple Group winner who has mixed it in the best company for three seasons and was Classic-placed, which gives him a rare depth of form and longevity.
“The Jacques le Marois is the immediate target, and from there, we have several exciting Group 1 races to consider. With the strength of the ownership group and the National Stud behind him, this horse has every chance of becoming a major success both on the track and at stud.”
Bred by Epona Bloodstock Ltd, Diego Velazquez is the last foal out of the Listed National Stakes winner and GIII Appalachian Stakes runner-up Sweepstake (Acclamation), who has produced two other classy types for Ballydoyle. They are headed by the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Broome (Australia), while the multiple Group 2 winner Point Lonsdale (Australia) was also placed at the top level on three occasions.
Sweepstake hails from the family of the G1 Phoenix Stakes-winning sire Zoffany and countless other Group winners, including Frankel's G1 Irish Derby runner-up Rostropovich and the G1 Metropolitan winner Land Legend by Frankel's sire Galileo.
Diego Velazquez himself was bought by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 2,400,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He is the winner of five of his 10 career starts to date, with his first major success coming in the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown. Last year he also won the G2 Solonoway Stakes and G3 Meld Stakes at the same venue, having previously finished a close-up fourth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains.
“We are confident that he will be very well received by European breeders,” Sangster added. “We've been on the hunt for a horse like this for some time and I'd like to thank the team at Coolmore for giving us the opportunity to get involved with a colt of his calibre.
“I'm excited about the horse and hope we run a big one on Sunday. In Aidan, we trust.”
Diego Velazquez is one of 10 potential runners in the Prix Jacques le Marois following Wednesday's confirmation stage. O'Brien is also responsible for former Derby favourite The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars), while Rosallion (Blue Point), Notable Speech (Dubawi) and Dancing Gemini (Camelot) all feature in what has the makings of a strong British challenge to take on Ascoli Piceno (Daiwa Major), a multiple top-level winner in Japan.
“He hasn't really had the rub of the green,” O'Brien said of Diego Velazquez. “Little things have held him up. We always felt that he was a miler and we were very happy with his run the last day over seven furlongs, which we thought was tight enough for him.
“He's very well and has made great progress since his last run. We're looking forward to seeing what he can do as the track and the trip and ground should suit him.”
On The Lion In Winter, who was last seen finishing third in the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, O'Brien added, “Everything seems good with The Lion In Winter. We've had our eye on this race, but we felt we had to get a run into him over a shorter distance before he went and the Deauville race [the Prix Jean Prat] was perfect.
“He ran a lovely race, we've been very happy with him since, and we're looking forward to running him over the mile as it's a distance that's going to really suit him, we think. We weren't expecting him to run that well on his first run back at a shorter distance, but we felt to go to the race on Sunday he had to have a run like that.”
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