Queally and Frankel set to celebrate

While most of their big race opponents indicated that they were competing for minor honours, the super colt – the shortest-priced Guineas favourite since Lester Piggott’s Nijinksy triumphed in 1970 – must overcome an unfavourable draw on the inner.

Cecil and Queally are acutely aware that similar predictions of greatness were bestowed upon Aidan O’Brien’s St Nicholas Abbey 12 months ago before his anticipated Triple Crown challenge ended abruptly as the Guineas field galloped down Newmarket’s challenging undulations.

Nevertheless, Queally is still hopeful that Frankel – with his instantly recognisable white face – will live up to the hype after an impressive comeback triumph at Newbury confirmed the promise shown by horse and jockey at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting last year.

Named after Bobby Frankel, the great American trainer, this is a horse which has captured racing’s imagination.

Seasoned National Hunt devotees, like Nicky Henderson, even delayed their Scottish National preliminaries so they could watch the colt in action on Ayr’s big screen.

“I have no doubts whatsoever about Frankel’s abilities, it’s just that it takes so much hard work to get a horse ready to run in a Classic, let alone to go and win it,” said Queally as he looks to win his first Classic.

“Care and attention to detail is needed every step of the way and being over-confident is never a good idea as everyone knows there’s no such thing as a racing certainty.

“There’s a lot of talent in the race and he will be racing on ground faster than he’s ever run on before, but there are also plenty of positives, not the least of which is that he has won over the course and will have the benefit of a pacemaker in Rerouted.

“He wasn’t fully tuned up when he won at Newbury, but the race has brought him on and he is a much better horse now than he was then.

“He has an extraordinary long stride and, if we get a sensible pace, I hope I’ll be celebrating my first English Classic winner.”

Those views were shared by Cecil, Flat racing’s grandee, who is enjoying a remarkable renaissance to a career that appeared over in 2005 when ill health, and poor horses, yielded a soul-destroying 12 winners – a fraction of past successes.

The most popular man in Flat racing, it is the care that he has shown to horses such as Frankel – and the recuperative powers of his Helmsley stud in North Yorkshire – that has seen him describe his young colt as, potentially, the best of his career.

“At this stage I wouldn’t swap him, but there’s no such thing as a racing certainly and today will tell us a lot more,” said Cecil, who has not trained a 2000 Guineas winner since Wollow in 1976.

“You always worry a bit about things going wrong. I’ve had so many horses prior to big races coming to the last week having setbacks, but you just have to accept things.”

Of Frankel’s 12 rivals, Casamento – winner of last October’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster when trained by Michael Halford before switching to Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation – offers the best value at 14-1. Frankie Dettori’s mount should not be discounted.

Godolphin’s racing manager Simon Crisford was optimistic, saying: “Casamento has enough pace for a mile, plenty of speed, and is doing very well at the moment... he goes there in good order.”

Yet, with the British Horseracing Authority having, belatedly, set out the terms yesterday for an inquiry into the future use of the whip, they will be hoping that this is an incident-free race that can help to restore their sport’s image.

Queally certainly hopes so, even though he believes its use is essential to a jockey for steering purposes, and to keep a straight line.

Examples cited are Yorkshire rider Andrew Tinkler’s victory at Towcester last Sunday on Dancing Dude when this four-year-old gelding, full of raw promise, wandered all over the track before the final two hurdles, and needed straightening, to maintain a winning advantage.

Queally added: “Some of the comments are made by people who would not know how to put a head collar on a horse let alone ride one.

“Most of the top 20 jockeys are seldom in breach of the whip rules. I cannot remember the last time I was banned for an offence with the whip.

“Today’s whip is a lot different to those used 20 years ago. They are air-cushioned and are used mostly as an aid. Ban it and you would be left asking, where will it all end?”

Queally was stood down on doctor’s advice as a precaution after taking two rides at Leicester yesterday because he has been suffering with a cold.

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