Champion of world
Graham Buddry remembers the incomparable Frankel
The first weeks of the Flat racing season are always exciting,but 2016 just might go down as one of the most important ever. Many years ago the great Northern Dancer became easily the most influential sire in the world when his progeny hit the racecourse, Nijinsky being arguably the best of them. Subsequent lines of super stallions then emerged,first SadlersWells and then Montjeu, Galileo et al.
This year sees the first tentative steps on a racecourse by the offspring of Frankel,that amazing wonder horse of just a few years ago. Could this year be the blossoming of a new dynasty?
Many old timers held Ribot and Sea Bird II as the best you would ever see. Later generations thrilled over Nijinsky and Mill Reef while, later still, it was Shergar and Nashwan followed by Galileo, Zarkava and Sea the Stars.
Those who saw that other brilliant horse, Brigadier Gerard, thought there could never be a better miler – then along came Frankel.
As a two-year-old Frankel was the same as many other young horses down the years. He showed real talent, kept an unblemished record and won top races. He was very good, yet no one could have foreseen what was to come.
On 16 April 2011 Frankel turned out for the Greenham Stakes at Newbury and beat a decent enough field just the way a 1/4 favourite should and two weeks later things moved on to Newmarket for the Two Thousand Guineas.
History occasionally has time-stopping moments which can define a generation. People knew exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard of the assassination of John F Kennedy.They know exactly where they were when they saw the grainy black and white pictures of Neil Armstrong taking that historic first step on the moon.They vividly remember the moment they first heard of the death of Princess Diana. In the same way everyone remotely connected to horse racing knows exactly where they were when they saw this amazing race!
The stalls crashed open and the famous colours of Prince Khalid Abdullah shot into the lead at a tremendous pace and immediately put distance back to the rest of the field.It was the pacemaker,wasn’t it? They had similar colours and it was his job to lead although he’s going at it a bit hard. Surely the commentator has called the wrong horse, it can’t be Frankel!
But it was.In the most incredible Classic race ever run, from the moment the stalls opened Frankel pulled further and further clear of the best that Britain, Ireland and Godolphin had to offer. Six lengths became eight, ten, an incredible 15 just after halfway and still lobbing along while the rest were hard pressed just to keep him in sight. We all know he won as he pleased but this was the true start of the legend.Suddenly people were starting to take notice of the horse; not just the regular racing people but the once-a-year racegoers, others on the fringes of the sport and even the news channels were catching on fast.
The St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot was an awkward race but Frankel won again,extending his unbeaten record to seven.The Sussex Stakes at Goodwood was billed as his biggest test to date as he was set to face the brilliant Canford Cliffs and race fans poured into the course. By now there was a real clamouring to see Frankel in the flesh, not just on the television. For the rest of his racing career Frankel would put thousands on the gate as everyone strove to catch a glimpse of the wonder horse. Even die-hard National Hunt fans found themselves buying tickets for Goodwood and the like just to be able to say with justifiable pride,“I was there”.
On the Sussex Downs, Frankel led from the start with Canford Cliffs close on his heels as they approached the business end of the race.Then Tom Queally asked for an effort and nothing short of awesome could describe the way Frankel shot clear and left a top class miler toiling like a selling plater.
His last race of the season was the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October.