Henry Cecil happy with Frankel in run-up to Sussex test

SIR Henry Cecil insists he could not be happier with Frankel as his highly anticipated clash with Canford Cliffs looms ever closer. The unbeaten colt had onlookers rubbing their eyes in disbelief when he produced a performance of raw power from the front in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, but was not quite so spectacular in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

That said, the three-year-old remains unbeaten and is now set to take on his elders for the first time in Wednesday's Qipco Sussex Stakes, with the opposition headed by Richard Hannon's brilliant Queen Anne hero Canford Cliffs.

"At the moment the horse is in very good form and I'm very happy with him in every way at this stage," said Cecil. "He looks well and he's working well. He's very happy in himself mentally and he's relaxed. That's all I can ask really."

The fatal injury suffered by Rewilding in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday was a cruel reminder of the perils of the sport, and the experienced Cecil knows better than most how quickly things can go wrong.

He told At The Races: "We all want to win and with horses like this there is a responsibility and every day is another day.

"Things can go wrong either at home or on the racecourse - look at the awful thing that happened on Saturday."

Tactics are bound to play a huge part in the mile contest, with jockey Tom Queally having come in for plenty of criticism over his Royal Ascot ride on Frankel. Cecil has a gameplan in mind - and also feels it is vital to have a Plan B. "Every race is run differently and you've got to use your head. We have a plan and we'll try to stick to it, but if the race goes a different way, we'll have to try and think of an alternative," he said.