Frankel: The Story of a Legendary Racehorse
Frankel: The Greatest British Racehorse of All-Time?
We look at the story of perhaps the greatest flat racehorse in British racing history, the unmistakable Frankel.
Frankel: Wonderhorse
Name: Frankel Sire: Galileo
Record: 14-0-0 Dam: Kind
Earnings: £2,998,302 Dam’s sire: Danehill
Trainer: Sir Henry Cecil Breeder: Juddmonte Farms Ltd.
Owner: Khalid Bin Abdullah
Trained by Sir Henry Cecil and owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, Frankel was perhaps the greatest horse ever to grace the racetrack. New writer Lynton Gomm, from Understartersorders.net, profiles the greatest racehorse of them all.
Foaled in 2008, he became the highest-ever rated racehorse based on ratings. Boasting an unbeaten 14 race career, 10 of which were in Group 1 events, Frankel demolished his opposition aged 2,3, and 4 before his retirement in 2012.
Piloted by Tom Queally on all occasions, he amassed a whopping £2,998,302 in earnings and is the only horse to have run to a Timeform rating in the 140s seven times (recording the highest ever Timeform rating of 147).
Frankel is the highest-rated horse since the International Classifications began, and I very much doubt we’ll see another horse like him anytime soon.
Frankel’s Pedigree
Frankel is out of the former top UK/IRE sire Galileo and smart dam Kind. Galileo has cemented himself as one of, if not, the best sires of the 21st century.
Having sired 91 individual Group 1 winners at the time of his death, and with a breeding fee estimated to be around £300,000, Galileo was the sire on everyone's lips. He was the champion sire in Europe every year for the past 10 seasons, with his most successful crop, of course, being those born in 2008, which included Frankel.
This crop included 9 individual winners at the top level, with 5 of those winning Classics. So far, in 2021, Galileo's offspring have generated a further £3,302,921 in prize money, beaten only by the mighty Frankel himself.
But it wasn’t just as a sire where Galileo excelled. During his racing career, he won 3 Group 1 races, including the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, amassing £1,612,270 in earnings for trainer A. P. O’Brien.
Winning over distances between 1m and 1m 4f, this is where Frankel’s stamina stemmed from.
Kind was not as successful as Galileo, either on the track or as a breeding mare, but she played a vital role in creating such a magnificent racehorse. Bullet Train and Noble Mission were, without doubt, her other most notable offspring- but despite their achievements, neither quite possessed the class of Frankel.
During her racing career, Kind ran some creditable races at Listed level, winning the Flower of Scotland Stakes and Totesport Fillies’ Stakes, but she struggled at Group level and retired in 2005 after just 13 runs. Winning over both 5f and 6f, the speed from her pedigree combined with the stamina from Galileo led to Frankel, the wonder horse, being born.
Going further back on Galileo’s side, you find Saddler’s Wells, a top class 1m – 1m 4f performer, siring 28 horses who achieved a best OR of 120+. The most notable of those was Montjeu (135) with 11 wins from 16 runs and £2,263,832 in earnings. On Kind's side, you find Danehill, a top-class sprinter-miler who was an excellent source of high-class 2-year-olds and helped to produce another 12 horses who achieved a best OR of 120+.
The most notable of these was Dylan Thomas (128) with 10 wins from 20 runs and £3,368,912 in earnings. You could say it runs in the family, but Frankel was on another level, even compared to these horses!
Frankel absolutely destroys the field in the 2000 Guineas
Frankel’s Race Record
Frankel’s record is nothing short of impressive. He beat 23 different Group 1 winners by a cumulative winning distance of over 76 lengths. On ground varying from Good to Firm to Soft, he excelled just about everywhere. Newmarket, Ascot, Goodwood. You name it, he won it.
The distances over which he won ranged from 7f to 1m 2.5f, with his long stride and natural ability carrying him effortlessly through every race. A CV which includes wins in the 2000 Guineas, Queen Anne Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and 2 victories in the Qipco Sussex Stakes.
Frankels Career Races
| Date | Race | Finishing Position | Race Distance | Winning Distance | Going | OR/RPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-Aug-10 | European Breeders' Fund Maiden Stakes (Newmarket) | 1st | 1m | 0.5 L | Soft | / 95 |
| 10-Sep-10 | Frank Whittle Partnership Conditions Stakes (Doncaster) | 1st | 7f | 13 L | Good | / 115 |
| 25-Sep-10 | Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (Group 2) (Ascot) | 1st | 1m | 10 L | Good to Soft | / 125 |
| 16-Oct-10 | Dubai Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1) (Newmarket) | 1st | 7f | 2.25 L | Good to Soft | 123 / 126 |
| 16-Apr-11 | totesport.com Greenham Stakes (Group 3) (Newbury) | 1st | 7f | 4 L | Good to Firm | 126 / 124 |
| 30-Apr-11 | Qipco 2000 Guineas (Group 1) (Newmarket) | 1st | 1m | 6 L | Good to Firm | 126 / 133 |
| 14-Jun-11 | St. James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) (Ascot) | 1st | 1m | 0.75 L | Good | 130 / 122 |
| 27-Jul-11 | Qipco Sussex Stakes (Group 1) (Goodwood) | 1st | 1m | 5 L | Good | 130 / 137 |
| 15-Oct-11 | Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1) (Ascot) | 1st | 1m | 4 L | Good | 135 / 139 |
| 19-May-12 | JLT Lockinge Stakes (Group 1) (Newbury) | 1st | 1m | 5 L | Good | 136 / 139 |
| 19-Jun-12 | Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) (Ascot) | 1st | 1m | 11 L | Good to Soft | 138 / 143 |
| 01-Aug-12 | Qipco Sussex Stakes (Group 1) (Goodwood) | 1st | 1m | 6 L | Good | 140 / 138 |
| 22-Aug-12 | Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1) (York) | 1st | 1m 2.5f | 7 L | Good to Firm | 140 / 143 |
| 20-Oct-12 | Qipco Champion Stakes (Group 1) (Ascot) | 1st | 1m 2f | 1.75 L | Soft | 140 / 136 |
Winning just one of these races is something most trainers can only dream of, but Frankel won it all for his trainer Sir Henry Cecil. They were quite a team!
His Most Impressive Wins
It's hard to just pick a few of his most impressive wins when everything he did was mind-blowing. For me, his front-running display in the 2000 Guineas and demolition of the opposition in the Queen Anne Stakes stands out the most.
His romp from the front in the 2000 Guineas in 2011. This performance is a personal favourite of mine for the way he went about dominating his opposition. No need for a pacemaker this time, as Frankel took matters into his own hands and was at least 10 lengths clear at halfway. Tiring slightly inside the final furlong but keeping up to his work well, he blew the opposition out of the water, eventually winning by some 6 lengths. Not his widest margin win, but perhaps, his most impressive.
To take one of the most prestigious British flat races in such a fashion is a testament to what a wonderful racehorse he was. The top-quality opposition was still no match for him as he lead them all a merry dance and disappeared into the distance. Frankel was in a class of his own.
Going about it differently this time, but in typical Frankel fashion, annihilating the opposition in the Queen Anne Stakes in 2012. Sat tracking the leaders as he did so often, just waiting for his opportunity, Frankel was always travelling well as Queally moved him to the front with just over 2 furlongs to go. A shake of the reigns saw him move effortlessly away from the rest of the field, and without ever really needing to be pushed, Frankel moved 8, 9, 10, 11 lengths clear crossing the line.
Nothing in the field was a touch on him. That victory was his widest margin win in a Class 1 event and was one of the most impressive victories ever seen on British soil.
His performances in the Juddmonte International Stakes, Qipco Sussex Stakes, and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes should not be forgotten, but those victories in the 2000 Guineas and Queen Anne Stakes stand out as some of the most impressive ever seen.
Frankel - The Greatest of them all
Comments about Frankel from Notable People
Sir Henry Cecil following his final run in the Champion Stakes at Ascot (2012) –
“He’s the best I’ve ever had, best I’ve ever seen. I’d be very surprised if there’s ever been a better one.”
Tom Queally following the pair's victory in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York (2012) –
“I won't find another one like him. I could stand here all day and go about trying to describe him, but words don't describe him."
Prince Khalid Abdullah following Frankel’s win in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood (2011) –
“He is the best I have ever had, including Dancing Brave. I am lucky to have this horse.”
Tony Morris (Leading Bloodstock writer) –
“The greatest horse most of us have seen, or will ever see… I’ve never known another horse with such a high cruising speed and the capacity to sustain maximum velocity for so long. He is a phenomenon.”
Jamie Lynch (Timeform’s Chief Correspondent) -
"We can all remember one brilliant individual performance, or even two or three in the case of Brigadier Gerard [in 1970-72] and maybe Abernant [between 1948 and 1950], but not six, like Frankel. That sets him apart from any other horse in history. Seven other individual horses have run to a rating over 140 in our history, four did it once, three did it more than once, but none have done it as many times as Frankel has."
Frankel’s Current Breeding Info. and Record
As stated before, it’s not just as a racehorse that people talk about Frankel. He is becoming something of a world-class breeding stallion too.
Frankel has a current stud fee of £175,000 and is the leading sire in Europe in 2021 based on black-type winners, wins, and even prize money. With an incredible 11% Group winners to runners, he’s already sired some incredible horses, 18 of which are Group 1 winners.
His top progeny in 2021 include
Adayar (Group 1: Cazoo Derby + King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes),
Alpinista (Group 1 + 2: Lancashire Oaks + Longines 131st Grosser Preis von Berlin),
Hurricane Lane (Group 1 + 2: Dante Stakes + Irish Derby + Grand Prix de Paris) and
Snow Lantern (Group 1: Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes).
Honourable mentions go to Group 3 winners Majestic Glory, Light Refrain, Mohaafeth, and Rumi.
In 2021, Frankel’s offspring produced 83 individual winners (43%) from 182 runners (at the time of writing). There have been 624 starts, with 133 total wins and 184 total places earning £4,649,178.
17 of these winners were in Stakes Company (24 total wins and 21 total places). There have also been 13 different 2-year-old winners (from a total of 28 runners), with 16 wins/22 places from 57 total 2-year-old starts (£227,601).
Summarising Frankel’s Life and Career
A machine on the track, and a talented sire off it, it’s hard to believe that the talent of Frankel will ever be matched!
The speed that he possessed to cruise past other horses in trouble, and the stamina to sustain it throughout his races, was incomparable.
No matter the opposition he faced, the conditions he was running in, or the track he was running at, he overcame them without even really needing to break a sweat.
The raw talent that he possessed was unrivalled and he has been rated “the best since rankings began”. There aren’t enough superlatives in the world to describe just how amazing Frankel was.
One thing is for sure though, he’ll go down in history as one of, if not the, best ever!
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