Is Frankel the ultimate racehorse?
Undefeated Frankel confirms his place in racing history at Royal Ascot, interrupting the pageantry and fashion with a seventh successive victory. Keme Nzerem reports from the race.
The horse-racing world had been eagerly anticipating a seventh straight victory for Frankel at Ascot – and he confirmed expectations, winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at odds of 30-100.
Frankel, named after the late American trainer Bobby Frankel, has been hailed as the ultimate racehorse, and his trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, has been called a genius.
The newly knighted Sir Henry has enjoyed 72 classic victories with 25 horses, but Frankel’s recent displays have led many pundits to conclude that the colt could surpass all of Sir Henry’s previous champions.
Some people say Frankel had a hard race. You have to ask how hard a race the horse behind him had. Tom Queally, jockey
Frankel’s route to Ascot has included victories by 13 lengths, 10 lengths, four lengths and, in the 2000 Guineas, a remarkable six – the second-widest margin for more than a century.
At the half-way point in the Guineas at Newmarket Frankel was a full 15 lengths ahead, before effectively easing along in the last half.
‘We ended up just toying with the others’
Jockey Tom Queally believes Frankel is in good shape despite his recent powerful display at Newmarket, saying: “He’s no different than he was before the Guineas.”
“The critics are out there, and some people say he had a hard race and galloped too fast. You have to ask how hard a race the horse behind him had. It was a super performance,” Queally continued.
Tom Queally said he knew from Frankel’s debut at Newmarket in August 2009, the first of his six straight wins, that he was riding a talented horse.
“We wanted to keep him covered up and relaxed as it was the springboard of his career, and we ended up just toying with the others, playing with them,” he recalls.
“It was a freakish performance. When I looked at the replay, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck,” added the 26-year-old Irish jockey.
‘This year is a true milestone at Ascot’
Frankel’s success today has been given even more resonance as Ascot celebrates its 300th year, having been founded by Queen Anne in 1711.
A statue of Yeats, the four-time Gold Cup winner who dominated the competition from 2006 to 2009, is to be unveiled during the meeting.
An extra group race, the Tercentenary Stakes, has also been introduced this year to mark the anniversary.
Ascot’s chief executive Charles Barnett said: “This year is a true milestone at Ascot as we mark 300 years of tremendous sport and colourful history at the Royal racecourse.”
Gold Cup day on Thursday – known as Ladies’ Day – will be one of the most popular days of the meet, with extravagant outfits and hats on display for the annual festival of fashion.
Nearly 500 horses are due to run in 30 races this year.