The Olympic Games are taking centre stage in the global sporting landscape, but a champion of a different kind is set to step out in the south of England on Wednesday night.
World champion racehorse Frankel will have his final start at a mile in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, before moving up to longer distances in the final months of his career.
At the end of 2012 Frankel will be retired to Juddmonte Farms to fulfil stud duties that have the four-year colt valued at over $A160m.
Frankel has opened up a 1-20 ($1.05) favourite in early markets for the lone Group One of the Glorious Goodwood Carnival.
Glorious Goodwood will run for five days this week and has been billed as racing’s alternate to the Olympic Games.
On both Thursday and Friday night, Melbourne Cup aspirants will compete in the Goodwood Cup (3218 metres) and Glorious Stakes (2414 metres), but not even the build-up to those races will remove the focus from the undefeated champion colt.
It’s Frankel’s first appearance at the races since his dazzling win at Royal Ascot. On that occasion he accounted for Excelebration by 11 lengths in one of the greatest performances ever put down by a thoroughbred in the modern era.
Frankel, a seven-time Group One winner, will be out to repeat his five-length victory in last season’s Sussex Stakes. On that occasion, Sir Henry Cecil’s colt retired an injured Canford Cliffs – a five-time Group One winner in his own right – in what I believe is the second-best mile performance I have ever seen, ranked only behind Frankel’s 11th victory in last month’s Queen Anne.
Only eight horses have been declared for the Sussex. The main danger to Frankel lies in two-time mile winner Farhh. The Godolphin-prepared Farhh finished third and second in his last two starts, both in 2000 metre Group Ones, behind So You Think and Nathaniel respectively.
Getting back a mile is going to suit Farhh but it seems the four-year-old colt will be competing for second place. Perhaps, jockey Frankie Dettori can take confidence from Farhh’s runner-up finish in the Eclipse Stakes behind Nathaniel, the horse who famously ran Frankel to a half-length at their debut in 2010.
After five defeats to Frankel, Aiden O’Brien has opted against an entry for Europe’s second-best miler Excelebration. Excelebration received a Cox Plate invitation in June but his immediate program remains unknown. O’Brien had the Australian-bred colt entered in both last month’s July Cup and Wednesday’s feature, but didn’t pay up for either.
Frankel is attempting to become the second colt in history to have won seven Group One races in consecutive starts. If he is victorious on Wednesday he will equal former Sussex winner Rock of Gibraltar’s record which was set in 2002.
The world record for Group One victories in successive starts is held by the American champion mare Zenyatta, who won nine Grade Ones in consecutive starts during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
After the Sussex, Frankel is expected to step up to 2092 metres for the Group One Juddmonte International Stakes before a possible raid on Paris’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
Frankel’s current Timeform rating of 147 is the highest handed out by the English organisation since it began handicapping in 1948.
And while Frankel’s ten performances at a mile have seen some pundits describe him as the greatest ever thoroughbred racehorse, it will be his ability to perform with the same dominance over a longer journey that will earn him that title universally.
When Frankel goes to the post in August 22’s Juddmonte Interational, it will be a shade more than two years since he debuted over 1408 metres with that victory over Nathaniel.
It’s taken Cecil a long time to teach Frankel to settle. The four-year-old colt is bred to run a distance longer than 1600 metres, but his coltish nature has kept him to the mile. Having finally matured into a racehorse who will drop his head and travel generously during races, Frankel is ready to show his stamina.
With that in mind, Frankel’s last exhibition of brute speed over a mile on Wednesday night will be something to savour.
johnny nevin is a legend
Guest
Just after reading that Frankel will only face 3 rivals in Farhh, Gabrial and Bullet Train. O'Brien has not declared any runners which shows that he has no confidence in Power even battling it out for the 2nd place money.
Bondy
Guest
Peeko Its true isnt it if you look in most detailed form guides in relation to the Dam she's generally done nothing, Songline the dam of Sunline never heard of her I have a bit of a theory that fillies and mares that place in Grp and Listed races are the ones to breed from not the actual winners .
peeeko
Roar Guru
very true, most of the time champion mares arent great producers
VIllan
Guest
Frankel is the best horse most of us have seen. Dubai Millenium and Dancing Brave being the only two I have seen that would be able to give him a race when at his, and their, best. But ain't that the point. If Frankel is not at his best or his jockey rides him to ill advantage, as happened at Ascot last year, he is beatable. So if he puts his immense talent on show three more times and shows us all just how good he is, again, then we will be very lucky because it'll be many a season before we witness performances of the power and speed he has brought to our racecourses.
Justin Cinque
Expert
But that idea is countered by the dam of Pierro who had many starts in Europe and Australia and threw Pierro, a Triple Crown winner. Racing is a funny sport.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Depends on the country. In Australia a colt could well fetch 3 mil. i hope I'm wrong but i'm not sure Black Caviar will be a champion broodmare. I tend to find the best producing mares are those that don't leave everything they have on the track. BC has had 22 starts and has travelled the world. To give an example, BC's mum never raced and AJ's mum had only two starts. Champs like Sunline and Makybe Diva had many great races over many seasons but haven't produced anything of note in the barn.
Bondy
Guest
It is very possible that Frankel and BC could produce a foal in time,as it stands both horses are not defeated on turf " obviously " I wonder what a colt would go through the yearling sale at, I dont know if it would reach 3 mill.
Justin Cinque
Expert
It's disappointing bondy. Sometimes i wonder whether we've got it all mixed up. I mean, the breeders live to produce a frankel yet when they do, he is shipped off to stud to breed a clone of himself before we even have time to understand him. Money talks.
Justin Cinque
Expert
If he won in america it would be huge. But if for some reason, cecil wants to travel frankel then the mvrc would love to have him at the cox plate (afterall, they've offered to pay all expenses). We're allowed to dream aren't we ;).
Andrew Hawkins
Expert
I agree - perhaps boring is the wrong word to use, but it is the least exciting of Frankel's runs to date for mine. But it's okay because I know, next start, the atmosphere will be electric. Was lucky enough to meet Queally the night he rode Frankel in the Queen Anne. Top bloke. Hope Frankel is not the only champion he is lucky enough to ride! As for end of season target, it is a tough one. Champions Day seems the logical one. Hope he doesn't go to the Breeders Cup - the tempo of the Mile is different (probably nowhere near enough to stop him though) and the Classic would be a killer.
Bondy
Guest
They dont hang around long good horses their off to the breeding barn before their last race is planned. I think he'll go to the Arc not for argument sake its like all three yr olds in Australia if they show anything their off to the Caufield Guineas regardless if there over the top or too immature. I think he'd run a mile and a half on three legs.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Andrew you may correct - no arc. But there is a possibility he could have his swansong in paris or even more unlikely usa in the breeders cup. Champions day would be an early end for frankel i think but he's worth so much that keeping him in cotton wool is understandable. Have to say watching frankel is never boring. When queally turns him loose, it's the zenith of horse racing... even though wednesday should provide no issues for him.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Andrew Hawkins
Expert
To me, this could be an incredible opportunity for racing - encourage all those who are there for the Olympics to get to Glorious Goodwood to see a once in a generation horse. Of course, it won't be used that way, but it has a lot of potential. This is probably the race of Frankel's which will be most boring, to be frank. There's nothing there to challenge him, in my opinion - Farhh, who is a good horse, won't get close. The Juddmonte will be incredibly exciting. I don't reckon he'll go to the Arc, I reckon he'll probably stick to the Champion Stakes at Ascot in mid-October.
johnny nevin is a legend
Guest
I think at this stage eveyone his waiting to see Frankel step up in distance. The Eclipse probably came too soon after the Queen Anne so connections probably viewed the Sussex as the only viable option on route to the Juddmonte Interational at 2000m. While its always good to see this magnificent horse running you can't but help but feeling that we've seen enough of him at this distance. It would be different if he had some competition like he did last year against Canford Cliffs but the opposition in this race seems average. Farhh is a progressive sort who put in respectable performances so far this year but Frankel is in a different species to him. Power won an Irish 2000 guineas but came nowhere in the English version or at Royal Ascot.