‘Frankel’s glow will extend around the world’
Thursday 2 August 2012
By Geoffrey Riddle
Teddy Grimthorpe paid a glowing tribute to the training skills of Sir Henry Cecil after Frankel’s latest racecourse demolition in the Sussex Stakes yesterday.
Neither Cecil nor owner Khalid Abdullah were present to watch Frankel put Farhh to the sword by a record six lengths to become the first horse to win the Group One feature twice in succession.
Cecil was recovering from on-going treatment for cancer at his Warren Place home while Prince Abdullah is convalescing from back surgery in America.
“Henry is the most exceptional trainer and he has proved that time and time again,” Prince Abdullah’s racing manager said. “His re-emergence is one of the great sporting stories full-stop. We are truly lucky to have Frankel in his hands.
“The world class trainers just have that knack about where the horse should be going and what he should be doing. He has a firm idea of where he wants to go and what he wants to do but is flexible. He has the most wonderful feel for horses.”
Frankel is a best-priced 1-5 to step up to ten furlongs for the Juddmonte International at York on August 22, for which 19 horse are entered.
Although it was thought that the Qipco Champions Stakes would then be his swansong, Grimthorpe revealed that there could be three more chances to catch a glimpse of the world’s highest-rated racehorse.
“There are two obvious races for him; the Juddmonte and the Champions Stakes,” he added. “There is a gap of nearly two months between them and Henry may decide to give him one race in between, possibly the Prix du Moulin.”
Frankel’s seventh success at a mile was the 18th Group One victory for Cecil and Tom Queally, his stable jockey who has ridden Frankel in all 12 of his victories so far.
From when Frankel defeated Nathaniel in his racecourse debut the 27-year-old Irishman has forged an enduring partnership with the son of Galileo.
“He has built up a great affinity with the horse now,” Grimthorpe said. “They get into a rhythm together and earlier it was probably more about what Frankel wanted to do but now it is a very good combination and Tom gets on with hi beautifully. It’s marvellous to watch.
“You have to pinch yourself because when you are watching him nearly every day in his work, it almost because the norm.
“I think the glow will extend to Warren Place and downtown Beverley Hills, I hope.”
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