Frankel’s position among the greats sparks debate

Not so, according to the British Horseracing Authority, who believe his victory – which had to be seen to be believed – was achieved, in part, because his rivals did not run to their optimum.

Sir Henry Cecil’s wonder horse carried an official rating of 138 into the Group One contest, with the trainer saying afterwards that his stable star is still improving and big race jockey Tom Queally describing the performance as the best of Frankel’s 11 successive victories.

It was a triumph made even more astonishing by the fact that Frankel lost a front shoe in the race. “I don’t know where it happened but it got loose in the last furlong and came off,” said Cecil yesterday.

“It’s been poulticed, but he’s fine and lives to fight another day. The idea was to go to Goodwood (Sussex Stakes) and York (Juddmonte International), but everything is open and we’ll see.”

Dancing Brave – coincidentially owned, like Frankel, by Prince Khalid Abdullah, was awarded the highest official mark of 141 after his victory in the 1986 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s blue riband race, under Pat Eddery.

The prestige of the Arc should be noted; it is the ultimate mile-and-a-half test for thoroughbreds and Frankel is unlikely to race over a distance in excess of the 10 furlongs that awaits him in York’s Juddmonte International in August.

“Frankel went into the race on 138. I think he’s run to at least that in winning the race,” explained Gardiner-Hill.

“If we put him up, he’ll go up a maximum of a couple of pounds to a mark of 140 as was highlighted after the Lockinge.

“In the modern-day era, Dancing Brave is the highest-rated horse we’ve had on 141 and at this stage I wouldn’t want to put him up above Dancing Brave.

“There are doubts. I think that Excelebration ran below his best is an incontrovertible fact, Side Glance went into the race on 113, the German horse (Indomito) on 108, although having reviewed his rating we may have under-estimated his last run. And, obviously, Windsor Palace (fifth) is a 104-106 horse. I don’t think it would be right to put Frankel above Dancing Brave.”

Halifax-based Timeform, on the other hand, take a different view and have Frankel at a new provisional high of 147, taking him 2lb higher than their previous best, Sea Bird II.

David Johnson, Timeform’s Flat editor, said: “Frankel’s performance is likely to surpass anything witnessed in Timeform’s 64-year history.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe reported the colt is in good shape after his memorable performance.

Grimthorpe, the chairman of York Racecourse, said: “He’s come back well, eaten up and seems very happy. No problems.

“It was a breathtaking performance by any standard. I usually just sit and yell from the stands, but actually I just watched open-mouthed.

“He is something else isn’t he? People come into racing for these very, very special horses. The amount of people that have come up to me since and said their son or daughter wasn’t really keen on racing but they saw Frankel and they’re just absolutely mad for it now. It is hugely important for the whole game. It’s fantastic.”