Frankel proves his pedigree in fine style

Sir Henry Cecil’s freakishly talented four-year-old was bidding to maintain his unbeaten record and clocked up a perfect 10 under Tom Queally as the 2-7 favourite beat old foe Excelebration by five lengths.

The return of last year’s 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace, Sussex Stakes and QEII winner had been anticipated all through the winter but his loyal fanbase had their mettle tested when Cecil last month revealed the immaculate son of Galileo had suffered a setback. Typical of his star quality, though, Frankel was soon back in full work and resumed winning ways just five weeks later.

A bumper crowd flocked to the Berkshire track to witness the reappearance of their hero and the colt was gently applauded around the parade ring before heading down to the mile start. Cecil’s tactics were executed perfectly with Frankel following the fellow Khalid Abdullah-owned Bullet Train early in the race before quickening away with over a furlong to run.

Excelebration had three times finished in the wake of Frankel when in the excellent care of Marco Botti last season but, even the move to Irish supremo Aidan O’Brien failed to squeeze out the necessary improvement as the recent Curragh winner was hopelessly adrift at the line.

Revealing the difficulties in readying Frankel for the race, Cecil said: “You have to just feel your way as you can’t make up time. You can’t squeeze 10 days’ missed work into the time so you have to try to get him here without flattening him.

“His first race is never his best race but we had to bring him here as he needed a race before Ascot and he has done it very easily. He is stronger this year and Tom said his acceleration is incredible. He could do no more than he did today.

Frankel is likely to stick to a mile for at least his next race before the champion colt is asked to step up in trip. The Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on 19 June is the probable target for owner Khalid Abdullah’s superstar and Cecil may wait until later in the summer to give Frankel his first test over a mile and a quarter, with the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and the Juddmonte International at York obvious options.

“It was very pleasing the way he did it at Newbury,” the owner’s racing manager, Teddy Grimthorpe, said on Sunday morning. “All being well, it will be Ascot next. I would think the Queen Anne would be the most likely race.”

Across the Atlantic meanwhile, I’ll Have Another will try to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the American Triple Crown following his victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. The Doug O’Neill-trained colt added to his dramatic Kentucky Derby defeat of Bodemeister with a similarly thrilling neck triumph over the same rival. I’ll Have Another will now bid for Triple Crown glory in the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9. “The great part of I’ll Have Another is that any of us could have a horse like this,” O’Neill said.

“He didn’t cost a million bucks but he’s got the heart of a champion, the stride of a champion, and the mind of a champion. On to New York, baby!”