Diego Velazquez set to join Swettenham in 2026

Diego Velazquez (image supplied)

With Diego Velazquez set to join Swettenham Stud in 2026, we caught up with the team to discuss what sets him apart—his pedigree, performance, conformation, and why he’s poised to make a major impact in Victoria.

What about Diego Velazquez made him so attractive to you and your team?

For a few seasons now, we have been searching for a Group 1 winning son of Frankel with speed that would appeal to the Australian market.The Frankel factor was really the key for us. Frankel is arguably the best racehorse ever and a tremendous sire, so to have a son of his calibre is exactly what the Australian market has been crying out for.And to have a son of Frankel that won a proper Group 1 mile in the Prix Jacques Le Marois is incredible. The race has been a prolific stallion making race with an honour board that includes Dubawi and his sire Dubai Destination, as well as Palace Pier and his sire Kingman.

Can you walk through his race record, pedigree and conformation?

Diego’s yearling sale price of 2,400,000 guineas (AU$5m) really tells the story regarding his pedigree and conformation. He is as close to a perfect specimen as you will find.Of course, by a Champion in Frankel, but his female family is one of the best in the world. Diego’s dam Sweepstake was a fast Stakes winner as a 2 & 3yo, who has not only produced G1 winner Diego Velazquez but is also the dam of G1 winner Broome & G2 winner Point Lonsdale.Further down his page, is just more evidence of thoroughbred superiority with countless Stakes winners flooded throughout his page.As we know pedigree and conformation is only relevant when the race record backs it up, and Diego Velazquez did exactly that.A Group 2 winner across 3 consecutive seasons as a 2, 3 and 4yo, capped off with a Victory in the time honoured G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois over a mile.The Group 1 victory was thoroughly deserved, defeating a high-class field including G1 Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech, who franked the form winning the G1 Woodbine Mile Stakes & G1 Breeders Cup Mile at his next two starts.

Why do you feel he will be appealing to Australian breeders?

Diego Velazquez will undoubtable be well received by the Australian breeders once they lay eyes on him at the 2026 stallion parades. It’s the old cliché of ticking every box – physique, pedigree and performance.Frankel operates at 17.5% Stakes winners to runners in Australia, and Diego Velazquez is his best credentialled son to stand in Australia.Diego’s dam Sweepstake will also appeal to the Australian breeders as she was a speedy Stakes winner over 5f as a 2yo. She is a daughter of Acclamation, who is the sire of prolific 2yo sire Mehmas as well as the grandsire of Harry Angel, who is doing an incredible job in Australia.The only bit of Danehill present in Diego’s pedigree is via Frankel’s damsire, so he is relatively far removed and is the ideal suitor to vast majority of the Australian mare pool.

How did Diego Velazquez find his way to Swettenham Stud?

Diego was very much a horse we targeted and actively pursued for the Swettenham Stud roster.My brother Sam showed great judgement in securing him just a week before his G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois victory. We were already keen on him, but that Group 1 win certainly added urgency to getting a deal done with his shareholders.We had to fight off some strong competition from rival studs, which gave his ownership group plenty to think about.Fortunately for us, Diego’s shareholders felt Swettenham was the right fit, particularly given our reputation with shuttle stallions. They were determined to retain his Southern Hemisphere rights and stay in the horse, rather than selling down their interest.

How does Diego Velazquez fit into Swettenham Stud’s broader strategy?

Our model for a while now has been to stand the best possible sons of Champions that we can get our hands on. We have sons of Snitzel, I Am Invincible, High Chaparral and Wootton Bassett, so it was only right to add a son of Frankel to the roster.We’d expect our client base to flock to this stallion given their success with Toronado, who shuttled to Australia early days with a very similar profile as a good-looking superstar G1 winning miler with form as a 2, 3 and 4yo.

Have you already identified which type of mares you plan to support him with in the Southern Hemisphere?

Diego Velazquez has plenty of similar qualities to his Champion sire Frankel, so we will certainly target mares that nick well with Frankel – daughters and granddaughters of Dubawi, Street Cry, Encosta De Lago and Shamardal all nick well.Physically and on pedigree, he would be very well suited to the Redoute’s Choice / Danehill line mares – which we know there is plenty of.We will also be actively shopping alongside Diego’s shareholders to send some high quality mares to him. We are lucky to have an international ownership group that is so keen to invest into the Australian market and support their stallion.

Given he’s shuttling from the National Stud in the northern hemisphere, how will his book be managed between hemispheres?

Diego’s book will be capped to a level in both hemispheres, but we won’t settle on a number until we have some intel on his libido and fertility once the Northern hemisphere season kicks off.

When do you expect to announce his stud fee for the 2026 season?

Diego’s fee will be announced in conjunction with the rest of Swettenham Stud roster in April 2026.

How are you positioning him relative to other stallions in Victoria, and what do you think Diego Velazquez’s presence at Swettenham will mean for the Victorian breeding landscape? The volume of messages the Swettenham team received about the prospect of standing Diego Velazquez following from his victory in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois was telling that there was a strong appetite for this stallion in Victoria.The Diego Velazquez ownership group were also very strong in their desire to stand this stallion in Victoria, given the appetite for G1 winning milers from Europe as we’ve seen with our Champion Toronado.Not only will Diego be a welcome addition to the Swettenham roster, he gives Victorian breeders another reason to keep their mares at home next season. There really isn’t the need to risk travelling mares and foal’s interstate when we have this calibre of stallion on our doorstep.