Frankel’s relaxed start key to narrow triumph

But this could not have been the victory parade that they envisaged as this monstrous horse clung on to a rapidly diminishing lead to land the St James’s Palace Stakes.

After powering ahead before the home straight with a jaw-dropping burst of acceleration that caught his opponents – and spectators – by surprise, Frankel only held on by less than a length to land the most prestigious prize of his career to date.

Queally, 26, said his wonderhorse simply idles when he hits the front – as he did in the 2000 Guineas. A clearly relieved Cecil expressed the same view after Royal Ascot’s day-one highlight.

Others were less certain, with many questioning the rider’s tactics – despite the result – and whether the horse is one in a million or just a very classy animal whose turn of pace has captured the imagination of the racing public.

In Frankel’s defence, he beat a stellar field of three-year-old horses – Richard Fahey’s Group One winner Wootton Bassett was among the also-rans – and the winning time, on rain-softened going, was within a second of the course record.

Perhaps it was also expecting too much for Frankel, who came to prominence at Doncaster last September, to replicate his 2000 Guineas heroics when he jumped out of the starting stalls and left his opponents treading water.

Nevertheless, the manner of the victory did not detract from the extraordinary ovation given to Cecil who has conquered both cancer, and the racing doldrums, with a remarkable return to pre-eminence that culminated with his knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours last Saturday and was followed by a record 73rd winner at the Royal meeting.

Handed his prize by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Cecil was given an enthusiastic reception. He was typically circumspect about Frankel’s next target, but confirmed that a step up to 10 furlongs for the Juddmonte International at York, or a clash with Queen Anne winner Canford Cliffs in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, were the two options in his mind.

“He wasn’t at all tired, he just thought he’d done enough,” said Cecil whose horse was returned as the 30-100 odds-on favourite.

“The plan was to go before the bend, but the pacemaker went off very quickly and Tom really asked him to catch him.”

Looking further ahead, Cecil will continue discussions with Frankel’s owner Prince Khalid Abdullah. He explained: “I never like three-year-olds to meet four-year-olds until later in the season.

“He’ll be entered in the Sussex Stakes and he’ll be entered in the Juddmonte International.

“The question with the Juddmonte is whether he will stay. It’s the Prince’s race, he has never won it, but we’ll see. I think he’ll stay further but I’m not certain. We’ll advise the Prince and he’ll take the final decision. Let’s do the best for the horse.”

In many respects, the race was won before the start – Queally had Frankel so settled that the lucky jockey was able to joke with his rivals in the starting stalls shortly before the off. Had he not done so, the result could have been very different if the horse had wasted too much nervous energy.

With the pacemaker Rerouted quickly opening up a big advantage, Queally appeared slightly concerned and asked his charge, named after the American training legend Bobby Frankel, to lengthen his stride when the faltering Japanese challenger Grand Prix Boss moved off the running rail at the half-mile marker.

The move was both decisive and exhilarating; Frankel cut into Rerouted’s lead and appeared to have the race at his mercy before the petrol gauge appeared to register low.

Fleetingly, Queally’s mount appeared to be in trouble but he held off the Aidan O’Brien-trained Zoffany, who was contesting the mile trip for the firsy time, with Marco Botti’s Excelebration a creditable third after stumbling at the start.

Of the remainder, disappointed Paul Hanagan indicated six furlongs might be Wootton Bassett’s optimum distance after finishing seventh of the nine runners.

Yet Queally, the supremely confident Irish-born rider, did not harbour any doubts about Frankel’s ability – even though many contended that he should have bided his time and pulled clear in the home straight.

“You just don’t realise how fast you’re going because it feels so easy,” he explained. “I’ve spoken to people three times my age who say they have never seen anything like him. I’m very lucky.

“He was more relaxed (yesterday) than he has ever been. Nobody wanted to chase the pace so as a result I went sooner rather than later. He was in front for a long way and he was just getting a bit sick of it. He does it so easy.

“He wasn’t getting tired. He’s growing up all the time. Everyone seems to think he can just jump and run but he’s more versatile than that.

“I think he’s starting to know he’s a good horse now. Yes, he only won by three-quarters of a length, but nothing’s finished three-quarters of a length in front of him yet.”

sea the stars retains an edge

AS every stride of Frankel’s victory at Royal Ascot is dissected, there is one certainty – he is the best racehorse since Sea The Stars.

This is not saying much, however. It is only two years since the John Oxx-trained superstar won an unprecedented six Group One races, including the Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s ‘blue riband’ races.

Comparisons are difficult. Sea The Stars excelled between a mile and 12 furlongs in distance while Henry Cecil’s Frankel does not appear to have such scope – York’s Juddmonte, staged over a mile and a quarter, may be his upper limit.

Official ratings are also notoriously fickle – factors such as the going, headwind, opposition and use of pacemakers all have a significant bearing.

For the record, the Guineas triumph of Sea The Stars was nearly a second and a half quicker than the time of one minute 35.8 seconds that Frankel recorded when landing the Classic.

Do times matter? Probably not. But Frankel needs to retain his unbeaten record against the likes of Canford Cliffs and Goldikova, before a possible Breeders’ Cup tilt this autumn, to merit consideration alongside the seasoned Sea The Stars.

He may have captured the public’s imagination with his dramatic bursts of acceleration – but can he deliver against the world’s best? It remains the ultimate test. Of Frankel. And of greatness.