TWENTY-sixteen was also the year in which the greatest flat racehorse of my experience - Frankel - had his first season as a sire of runners. He certainly hit the ground running, and at one point almost everything he sired seemed to be winning something, somewhere. It was nearly September before Frankel’s strike-rate in Britain and Ireland dropped below 50%.

Things have calmed down somewhat since those heady days, and that strike-rate is now around 35%, which is nonetheless still very good. There has been quality as well as quantity, if not the number of wins in group races that might have been hoped for, and not one yet at Group 1 level.

Best of Frankel’s offspring on time was Queen Kindly, who posted a 113 timefigure in her win in the Lowther Stakes at York, followed by the Lowther third Fair Eva on 112 for her win in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.

The colts fared less well, with Cunco (109) and Frankuus (100) best of them. However, Frankel looks to have at least one male of considerable promise for 2017 in Cracksman, who won what looks a hot Newmarket maiden on his only start, in October.

That effort earned Cracksman a 99 timefigure, which is the second-fastest of the year in a two-year-old maiden in Britain and Ireland at the time of writing, behind Sobetsu.

As much to the point is that Cracksman came home notably strongly, running the last three furlongs in 35.25s (or a speed of 104% of his average race speed). Craftsman looks a group-race contender, and quite possibly a group-race winner.

Few Frankels were seen in action in Ireland, with the thrice-raced maiden Lightening Fast (77 timefigure) just about the pick of them. But one thing about Frankel as a racehorse was that, excellent though he was as a two-year-old, he got better with age, and it would be no surprise if that applies to a good proportion of his offspring, too.

There are plenty of Frankels waiting in the wings, and that is just one of numerous reasons to look forward to 2017!