A Horse Racing Legend of the Flat - Frankel, an unblemished career.

A Horse Racing Legend of the Flat Frankel, born on 11th February 2008, had an unblemished racing career over his fourteen races and he became the highest rated racehorse in the world during 2011.

That is some feat!

His 2 year old career began in 2010 when, on his debut, he raced and beat the likes of Nathaniel and Colour Vision before he went on to win the Royal Lodge Stakes by a mere 10 lengths!

If this wasn’t impressive enough he then went on to win the Dewhurst Stakes beating Dream Ahead!

Okay we’ll stop exclaiming now!

His 3 year old season saw his prep race for the 2000 Guineas, the Greenham Stakes at Newbury over 7 furlongs, where he simply blasted past Excelebration with what would become his trademark turn off foot by 4 lengths, and Excelebration was no push over given that he won the German 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp that season.

After the race his trainer Sir Henry Cecil reported that he was sure that there was still improvement to come following the race. Two weeks later Frankel won the 2000 Guineas by six lengths! (Ooops sorry exclamations)!

Prior to the race there had been the customary hype about what Frankel may have been capable of, and the crowd were expectant of a show of class but no one was possibly ready for the standard of performance they were to see. Frankel crushed his opponents in a way which is not supposed to be seen in a classic race of the calibre of the Guineas.

He was drawn on the outside which had been a slight concern given that he had a tendency to race keenly, but it very quickly became apparent that even though he had on the opposite flank his pacemaker, Rerouted, that Frankel was intending to make his own running.

Halfway through the race Frankel was already some 7 lengths clear of his nearest rival and with his jockey, Tom Queally, keeping him working in the final furlong he started to tire, but Frankel still managed to have those 6 lengths in hand and to win the race with the second largest margin in the Guineas history.

By the time he was seen again at Royal Ascot (St James’s Palace Stakes) his price had become so short he wasn’t even backable, going off as the 30/100 favourite but his performance this time was less impressive as he got away with holding off Zoffany by 3/4l. He certainly didn’t appear to have merited so short a price in that race, but we weren’t to worry.

In the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood some 6 weeks later Frankel emerged to go head to head with Cranford Cliffs in a 4 runner race and after the previous performance connections of Cranford Cliffs possibly thought that there was a chance that this horse called Frankel could actually be beaten after all.

Once again Frankel took a keen hold but this time his jockey was in control and having made all yet again this time Frankel was to ensure that his mark was made as he quickened clear over 1 furlong out and finish 5 lengths in the clear winning easily.

His final race of that season was the Qipco British Champions Mile, another race easily won, this time beating yet again Excelebration, this time by 4 lengths. After the race Tom Queally commented:

“I know him so well and have great belief in him. I can give them as much rope as they want and he gets low to the ground and pegs them back. He's very easy to ride. The biggest job I have is getting him to the start, keeping him relaxed and talking to him making sure everything is okay.

This is the people's horse now. If someone asked me to sum up my season it would be one word, Frankel. He is amazing. I am very lucky.

To which the trainer Sir Henry Cecil added “He is a very good horse. He was lovely and relaxed today. It's been a long year. He did everything I asked of him and I am delighted. I'm really looking forward to having a winter over him next year when I am sure he will get a mile and a quarter very easily. Today he was just doing enough. We weren't trying to catch pigeons we were just trying to win the race nicely and that was it. I was nervous. There is no such thing as a certainty but everything went right. As long as he stays right he will be very exciting for next year. He is definitely a brilliant horse and hopefully he will improve and we can judge him as time goes on. It's good for the racing to have stars and champions”.

Frankel’s 4 year old career was equally as impressive with him winning the Lockinge Stakes and subsequent wins at both Ascot and Glorious Goodwood taking the Queen Anne Stakes and the Sussex Stakes for a second time. It was here when his trainer decided that the time was right for him to be moved up in distance to a mile and a quarter.

On entering the International Stakes at York Frankel truly was an unbackable price at 1/10.

Just over 2 furlongs out Frankel took the lead and went clear winning easily by 7 lengths.

His final race came in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in the October.

With some concerns pre-race time over the ground which had been softening Frankel entered his final race. He lost a little ground on the start but no one should have worried as he recovered the lost distance and went on to clearly win in the final furlong of the race and earned his retirement.

Cracksman’s performance confirmed that Frankel was also going to be a winner when it came to the siring stakes too.

At the close of the 2017 season Frankel had finished 4th on the leading sire’s chart behind the greats of Galileo, Dubawi and Dark Angel.

It can be difficult to compare the respective merits of stallions in the main as each are paired with different mares and thus the combined genetics may bring merits from both sides of the gene pool but if we were to keep things simple and just look at the basic numbers of foals sired then we can see how good Frankel’s progeny are.

Galileo has 13 crops and 1922 racing age foals in his lineage
Dubawi has 9 crops and 973 foals of racing age
Dark Angel has seven crops and 735 foals of racing age to look at.

Frankel had achieved his 4th place in the sire’s rankings from just 2 crops and 225 foals of racing age!

In 2017 in Great Britain and Ireland Frankel had 49 three year old runners, 17 of which achieved a top Racing Post Rating over 100 or more and these included Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Eminent, Group 3 winner Monarch’s Glen along with Dream Castle and Mirage Dancer.

The average Racing Post Rating of ALL 49 of his 3 year olds was 88 which places him ahead of 8 of the top 10 sires, including Galileo.

His 10 highest rated 3 year olds which had raced in the previous year showed an average improvement of 22lbs from their debut to their second season of racing, so if his latest crop of 2 year olds matches up then we are sure to see some impressive results in 2018.

But how did his 2 year olds get on during 2017?
Generally speaking they have continued to add to Frankel’s success with 13 winners including 3 Stakes winners, Rostropovich (Group 2), Nelson (Group 3) and Elarqam (Group 3 and unbeaten).

Average peak Racing Post Rating? 84.

Using the same analogy that puts Frankel 3lb higher than the second placed sire Galileo, and ahead of the other top ten sires, including the likes of Acclamation, Dark Angel and Kodiac.

Breeders obviously can’t get enough of Frankel and in 2017 he covered his largest and best stud book yet with 195 mares having been sent to him. He’s been a busy boy!

So surely there is an angle to profit from when looking in to the progeny of Frankel?

Well sadly with success comes a short price!

It will come as no surprise that given Frankel’s high profile there is a mass of high octane press coverage if one of his sons or daughters comes to the track. Of the fillies and the colts it is the fillies which have achieved a better strike rate but backing them blindly would still have seen you return a loss over the last two seasons although backing the 2 year olds you would have made a very slight profit.

But, if you are determined to encourage along a child of Frankel then using the Betfair Starting Prices you would have seen +16 points profit from 28 bets backing his 2 year old fillies. A possible micro method? We’re not sure but, hey what the heck, let’s just enjoy the ride.