Ahead of Saturday's Champion Stakes, which is likely to be Frankel's final race, Timeform's Tony McFadden examines some of the most memorable moments and races in the great colt's career...
The Dewhurst Stakes
Three unblemished records were placed on the line in 2010's eagerly-anticipated edition of the Dewhurst Stakes. One contender, Dream Ahead, had won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes by nine lengths; another, Godolphin's Saamidd, was referred to as 'Pegasus' at home, but, despite those credentials, they were relatively overlooked in the market behind the other unbeaten colt, Frankel. Having displayed a devastating turn of foot to win the Royal Lodge Stakes by an emphatic ten lengths, Frankel was sent off as the 4/6 market leader. As it turned out, the contest itself was relatively anti-climactic with his two principal rivals palpably underperforming. However, Frankel's comfortable victory, in spite of racing far too exuberantly, confirmed his standing as the leading juvenile, rounding off one of the most impressive two-year-old campaigns of recent times.
The 2000 Guineas
In the mind of this writer, and no doubt thousands of other racing fans, never has a horse produced such a visually-impressive display as Frankel did on the Rowley Mile in April 2011, not only securing his legacy as the best of his generation, but placing himself firmly amongst the greatest horses ever seen with an utterly dominant display. At the top level, winning margins of six lengths are uncommon, but what is even rarer is the style the victory was achieved in, a style that, ultimately, left his rivals flattered to get so close. They had been completely annihilated by halfway, simply unable to match the sheer speed and power of Frankel as he exploded down the Rowley Mile at a pace that would have troubled most sprinters. Such a spectacular display of brute strength made for a fantastic spectacle, making smart performers in their own right look very ordinary, strung out at wide intervals in an unprecedented manner. Not only was it a visually-impressive performance, Frankel recorded the best relative Timefigure in the UK this century, underlining what a truly remarkable performance he had delivered in the 2000 Guineas.
The St James's Palace Stakes
Although Nathaniel had managed to get closer on their respective debuts, the St. James's Palace Stakes, where Frankel held off Zoffany to win by three-quarters of a length, was perhaps the closest he has come to tasting defeat. Unlike his cosy debut success, Frankel didn't appear to be holding much in reserve, despite connections' protestations that he was idling. It should be noted that Tom Queally has largely dealt with the pressure and responsibility that comes with riding such a champion in exemplary fashion, but, in this instance, the aggressive ride he gave Frankel, asking him for an extraordinary mid-race move, was nearly a costly mistake. Having enjoyed a commanding lead with a couple of furlongs to run, Frankel's advantage was being steadily eroded, leaving him looking more vulnerable than ever before or since. For one fleeting moment, Frankel appeared less than invincible.
Lockinge Stakes
Following unfounded rumours of his retirement earlier in the spring, any fears about Frankel's wellbeing were well and truly quashed on his seasonal return with a most authoritative success in the Lockinge Stakes, registering a five-length beating of Excelebration and, ominously for his rivals, looking more tractable than had been the case in the past. He was not taking on new rivals, but he was doing so on new terms, old foe Excelebration having moved to the powerful Aidan O'Brien stable. People cited Excelebration's proven race fitness as a possible factor that could finally swing the pendulum in his favour against a colt that had already taken his measure three times. However, Frankel's superiority was, if anything, even more marked, barely having to come off the bridle to extend his perfect record. The victory itself was most straightforward, but the significance derived from Frankel's newfound relaxed demeanour, hinting at what was about to come...
Queen Anne Stakes
With the bookies now accepting the futility of taking on this exceptionally talented colt, Frankel was sent off at 1/10 for the race that will be looked back upon, in the opinion of Timeform anyway, as the greatest ever performance by a Flat horse, surpassing anything seen in the organisation's 64-year history. As you may expect, Frankel was essentially flawless on this occasion, his headstrong tendencies firmly a thing of the past as he settled beautifully, loomed up in typically menacing fashion and unleashed a response more sensational than anything he had produced in his already outstanding career. Frankel maintained the gallop in relentless fashion, eventually putting 11 lengths between himself and the top class Excelebration, dishing out the heaviest beating of that horse's career, in doing so prompting fears that he had finally been 'broken' by the unenviable task of repeatedly trying to beat Frankel. Excelebration's subsequent win in a stellar renewal of the Prix Jacques le Marois demonstrated that he had not been disheartened, simply dismantled by the finest racehorse ever seen.
Videos courtesy of Attheraces and Racing UK
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