Frankel (foaled 11 February 2008) is a retired champion British Thoroughbred racehorse and current sire. He was unbeaten in his fourteen-race career and was the highest-rated racehorse in the world from May 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011 He was trained by Sir Henry Cecil in Newmarket and ridden in all his races by Tom Queally.
In 2010 Frankel defeated a field including subsequent Group 1 winners Nathaniel and Colour Vision on his debut before winning the Royal Lodge Stakes by ten lengths and the Dewhurst Stakes in which he defeated the Middle Park Stakes winner Dream Ahead. As a three-year-old, he won the Classic 2000 Guineas by six lengths, the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, defeated the outstanding older miler Canford Cliffs in the much-anticipated Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. Frankel extended his unbeaten record in 2012 by winning the Lockinge Stakes, the Queen Anne Stakes and then the Sussex Stakes for a second time. In August he was moved up to a mile and a quarter for the first time and won the International Stakes at York. In October he won the Champion Stakes at Ascot, again over a mile and a quarter, following which his retirement from racing was announced.
After his win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October 2011, Frankel was given a rating of 143 by Timeform, the highest mark awarded by the organisation in over forty years and their fourth highest of all time behind Sea Bird, Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel. In June 2012, following his win in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, Timeform raised its provisional rating to 147, making him the highest-rated horse in the organisation's history. In January 2013 Timeform announced that his final rating at the end of his racing career was also 147.Daily Telegraph, "Sprinter Sacre raring to go for Victor Chandler Chase", 15 January 2013, page S18.
In January 2013, the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings Committee ranked Frankel as the best racehorse they had assessed since their ratings were introduced in 1977, by a margin of two points. The ratings had been recalibrated, since it was believed that in the early years of the scheme horses had been treated more generously than in recent years. Frankel's rating was confirmed at 140, but Dancing Brave was reduced from 141 to 138, Alleged from 140 to 134 and Shergar from 140 to 136. Since 1900, of British-bred racehorses only Ribot has won more races and finished his career unbeaten (racing largely in Italy). Frankel's performance in the 2000 Guineas has been described as "one of the greatest displays on a British racecourse".Frankel reaches superstar status after 2,000 Guineas win at Newmarket Retrieved 17 October 2011
Since retiring to stud, Frankel sired notable offspring including Classic winners Adayar (Epsom Derby), Hurricane Lane (Irish Derby, St Leger), Logician (St Leger), Anapurna (Epsom Oaks), Hungry Heart (Australian Oaks) and Soul Stirring (Japanese Oaks), as well as Alpinista (Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). He was the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 2021.
Background
Frankel is a bay horse with a large white star, a white snip just above his nose, and four white feet. He was bred by Juddmonte Farms and trained by Cecil, and was owned by the late Khalid Abdullah. He is named after the renowned and late American trainer Bobby Frankel.
Frankel is by champion sire Galileo, out of Listed sprint-winner Kind who is a daughter of champion sire Danehill. Although Galileo won The Derby, doubts surfaced over whether Frankel's staying power would be sufficient for the mile-and-a-half Classic. Frankel was instead targeted towards a three-year-old campaign over a mile, his first main target being the 2000 Guineas.
Frankel's dam, Kind, was a half-sister to Group 1 Arlington Million winner Powerscourt, Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Riposte and Group 3 Prix de Barbeville winner Last Train. Retired to paddocks in 2006, she foaled three horses to have won Group races: Frankel's three-parts brother Bullet Train – often his work companion and pacemaker – won the Group 3 Lingfield Derby Trial, while Frankel's full-brother Noble Mission, after winning the Listed Newmarket Stakes and finishing second in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, went on to win the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood; he ultimately went on to win three Group 1s for Cecil's widow, Lady Jane Cecil, the last being the Champion Stakes at Ascot, emulating Frankel's last win in the same contest. Kind was also dam of Listed winner and Group performer Joyeuse.
As a descendant of the broodmare Circassia, Frankel is from the same branch of Thoroughbred family 1-k which also produced the 2000 Guineas winner Don't Forget Me.
Frankel is bred on the Galileo-Danehill cross, a notable nick that is also apparent in the pedigrees of Group 1 winners Teofilo, Golden Lilac, Roderic O'Connor, Maybe, Intello and Cima De Triomphe.
Racing career
2010: two-year-old season Frankel began his two-year-old career on 13 August in a one-mile maiden race at Newmarket on soft ground. He broke slowly, and was held up by jockey Queally before making headway two furlongs out. He led inside the final furlong and ran on to win "readily" by half a length from John Gosden's future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Nathaniel.
Four weeks later, Frankel ran in the Frank Whittle Conditions Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster. Only two horses opposed him (second favourite Farhh was withdrawn before the start) and he started at odds of 1/2. Queally tracked the leader Diamond Geezah before moving Frankel to the front a furlong from the finish. The horse accelerated past his opponents and drew away to win by thirteen lengths from subsequent Prix Marcel Boussac third Rainbow Springs in impressive style.
Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes On 25 September, Frankel tackled Group company for the first time in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot, a race sponsored by his owner Khalid Abdullah. The race was notable for Frankel's mid-race move around the home turn, and the colt beat subsequent Horris Hill Stakes winner Klammer by 10 lengths. Treasure Beach, The Derby runner-up and Irish Derby winner the following year, was beaten just under 11 lengths. After the race, Peter Scargill of Racing Post said that "the jockey merely pushed his mount out hands and heels to win by ten lengths – it could've easily been more". His trainer said: "He was very impressive. He has been ticking all the right boxes. In the last two months he has started to really improve, improve and improve".
Dewhurst Stakes Frankel's final start of the year was the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on 16 October, his first race at Group 1 level. The race – billed as the two-year-old race of the centuryDewhurst delight for fantastic Frankel Retrieved 17 October 2011 – also featured two other unbeaten colts; Dream Ahead, 9-length winner of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes a fortnight earlier and Saamidd, winner of Doncaster's Champagne Stakes and labelled "Pegasus" by his Godolphin stable. Frankel was restrained by Queally before moving up to take the lead a furlong from the finish. He won the race "comfortably" by two and a quarter lengths, despite hanging to the right in the closing stages. The runner-up, Roderic O'Connor, subsequently won the Group 1 Critérium International at Saint-Cloud and then the Irish 2,000 Guineas as a three-year-old. The next day, Cecil said: "Frankel unfortunately got a nasty bump leaving the stalls and that gave him a shock and the result was he ran very free ... things don't always go as one would hope and I don't think the ground helped either."
2011: three-year-old season
Greenham Stakes Frankel's prep-race for the 2000 Guineas and the first start of his three-year-old career was the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on 16 April over seven furlongs. He defeated Excelebration – who went on to win the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) by seven lengths and the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp that season – by four lengths, showing his customary turn of foot around a furlong from home. Following the race, Cecil insisted that the colt would improve dramatically for the outing before the Newmarket Classic.
2000 Guineas Stakes
On 30 April, Frankel was the shortest-priced favourite in the race since 1974 at odds of 1/2. He jumped straight to the lead, surprising many of the jockeys in the race, and had the horse in second place, Racing Post Trophy winner Casamento, off the bridle after only three furlongs. Frankel had a lead of around 15 lengths by halfway and won by six lengths; the biggest winning margin since Tudor Minstrel in 1947.
The performance was described as "barely believable",Talking Horses Retrieved 17 October 2011 while Paul Curtis of the Racing Post said afterwards that "Frankel's astonishing performance puts him firmly in the superstar status".
St James's Palace Stakes Although he was the long-time favourite for the 2011 Epsom Derby, stamina doubts meant that Frankel did not run in what many consider racing's Blue Riband race.Frankel likely to bypass Epsom Derby for Royal Ascot Retrieved 17 October 2011 Instead, his next start was in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on 14 June. In the race, the pacemaker, Rerouted, set a furious pace and opened up a sizeable lead by half-way. Frankel was then asked by his jockey to go after the leader and passed Rerouted shortly after the three-furlong marker, going on to open up a lead of six lengths on the rest of the field with two furlongs to go. However, in the final furlong, 20-1 shot Zoffany began to make up significant ground and Frankel eventually only won by three-quarters of a length. Following the race, Queally received criticism from a number of quarters for what some considered to be an ill-judged ride, since the mid-race move appeared possibly to have taken too much of a toll on the horse. Despite claims from Cecil and Queally that Frankel was merely idling in front, some observers saw the race as the first time the colt looked less than invulnerable.
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes was billed as "The Duel on the Downs" and was viewed by many as the most eagerly awaited confrontation in years. Frankel scored a five-length victory over the world's top-rated older miler and five-time consecutive Group 1 winner Canford Cliffs on 27 July at Goodwood. In a moderately run and tactical affair, Frankel made all the running to beat the horse who had accounted for three-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner Goldikova in his previous race. Canford Cliffs was found to have a shadow on his pastern, which could cause serious damage if exacerbated. Thus, he was retired on veterinary advice directly after the race and would become a breeding stallion.
Frankel received many accolades following his victory. His trainer said: "I think it's a facetious thing to say, but he's the best I've ever seen. I suppose the only ones I could compare would be Shergar and Blushing Groom at his best. I can't go back to the days of Tudor Minstrel and match races, but he's the best in my lifetime."Mighty Frankel best ever – Cecil Retrieved 27 July 2011 During the interview Cecil also said that he had expected the colt to win easily, despite having ample respect for his horse's rival Canford Cliffs.
After the victory, the British Horseracing Authority raised Frankel's official rating from 130 (tied with Australian horse Black Caviar) to 135, making him officially the best racehorse in the world.