Frankel and Black Caviar ready to underline top status at Royal Ascot

“He’s in good order and there are no excuses,” said Cecil last night as Frankel seeks his 11th successive victory in the Queen Anne Stakes before a possible tilt at York’s richest race – the Juddmonte International – in August.

Yet, while it is a measure of Royal Ascot’s prestige that its meeting has attracted two equine icons from rival hemispheres in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, the presence of Frankel and Black Caviar also highlight the challenge in promoting horse racing.

Black Caviar, a mare who is heavier than the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman, needs no introduction Down Under. Even people with no interest in horse racing have heard of the wonder horse looking to stretch her unbeaten record to 22 races in Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes. A whole nation will tune in to watch her latest appearance – even though it will be the middle of the night.

Contrast this with Frankel. The best horse Cecil has trained, the best in the world on current ratings and one of the greatest British racehorses of all-time following his swashbuckling 2000 Guineas win last year, the four year-old – named after the supreme US trainer Bobby Frankel – still has little name recognition outside racing circles.

It is even more baffling that the best Britain has to offer will line-up in the very first race of the Royal fixture, a five-day meeting which has a very lopsided look with today’s first three contests – all part of the Qipco British Champions Series – worthy of top billing in their own right.

That said, today’s straight mile should play to Frankel’s strengths – he won over the course on Qipco Champions Day last October and his only scare in 2011 came when big-race jockey Tom Queally hit the front too soon in last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes on the round course, and was a sitting target after the final bend.

All Frankel and Queally can do is keep winning – Royal Ascot will be very subdued if they suffer a shock reverse – and Cecil could not be happier with his horse of a lifetime.

“He’s in good order and there are no excuses,” said the master trainer, who has a stud at Helmsley in North Yorkshire.

“You always feel nerves with horses like that, he has a great following and you don’t want to let anyone down. I’m very proud of what he’s achieved, we’re lucky to have him and I hope to continue where we left off.

“People love champions, whatever the sport, not just racing. I’m not a golf or tennis fan but I love watching the best. If people are not involved in racing they still latch on to champions, so let’s hope he continues. The idea is not to win by massive margins but as long as he can win nicely that would be fantastic.”

The good news is that Cecil still intends to run Frankel in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood before stepping the colt up to a mile-and-a-quarter at York in high August.

Confirming the horse has fully recovered from his injury scare before winning last month’s Greenham Stakes at Newbury, the trainer added: “After Ascot, the idea would be to go to Goodwood then he’ll go a bit further in distance at York.”

Frankel certainly needs to be tested over a longer trip to confirm his pre-emience – the reason I believe that Sea The Stars, the great champion of 2009, is still the better horse is because he won the Guineas over a mile before proving his versatility in the Epsom Derby and then the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s richest race, over a mile-and-a-half.

Ironically, Born To Sea, the half-brother to the now retired Sea The Stars, is among those going for glory in today’s St James’s Palace Stakes, which was won by a certain horse called Frankel 12 months ago.

The three-year-old colt has just one success to his name but was an eye-catching fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas and a hood clearly helps the horse to concentrate.

“We view him as a Group One horse and I think Ascot could be the ideal track for him,” said jockey Johnny Murtagh. “The hood really helps him, the fizz has gone out of him. He’ll be much more relaxed.”

The home challenge includes John Gosden’s The Nile, the mount of in-form stable jockey William Buick.

“I like the horse a lot. He’s got a good profile, lovely stride and balance,” said the St Leger-winning trainer, who now has a string of top quality horses at his disposal. “He could go and give a very good account of himself.”

Gosden also runs Fencing, sixth in the 2000 Guineas and who drops back to a mile after failing to stay in the Dante Stakes.

“He’s bred to be a mile-and-a-quarter horse but in the Racing Post Trophy last year, Camelot absolutely outclassed him and I wasn’t convinced he wanted any further than a mile,” added the handler.

“We ran in the Dante at York to gauge his trip and William got off him and said this horse doesn’t get an inch over a mile. He’s built as a miler but his pedigree says a mile-and-a-quarter.”

While Buick rides The Nile, Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride Fencing – another indication that the charismatic Italian is quickly becoming racing’s forgotten man.

Eighteen months ago, Dettori was the main man – with Buick invariably playing second fiddle to the former champion.

Now it is Dettori – so long the face of Flat racing, and Ascot in particular, after his ‘magnificent seven’ of 1996 – who is looking for spare rides, with just one of his five rides today in the iconic Godolphin blue colours.

At least horse racing has world-beaters like Frankel or Black Caviar to enliven Royal Ascot. Now it needs them to deliver, starting today.