A uniquely powerful British thoroughbred, the name of Frankel is a name that people have grown to love. With close to £3m in earnings across its career already, it’s become the star horse for many fans of the sport. Indeed, it enjoyed a fourteen-race career and was unbeaten in all of them. It was, by May 2011, ranked as the finest horse alive on the planet.
With wins at the likes of the Royal Lodge Stakes, the Dewhurst Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes early on, Frankel was soon winning the likes of the Classic 2000 Guineas and the Sussex Stakes alongside the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. This continued for some time, winning the International and Champion Stakes in 2012.
It’s last ever race came at the Champion Stakes, in fact, when it won by over a mile and a quarter and then retired from the sport. Indeed, the major highlight for Frankel is probably the awarding of the 143 rating by the prestigious Timeform. This rating was the highest handed out in decades, and the fourth highest of all-time. By 2012, it was raised to 147 – the rating kept until the end of the stellar career it had enjoyed. At retirement, then, Frankel signed off as the highest rated horse in the history of the Timeform records!
From its 2010 Royal Lodge Stakes win, then, right to its dominant Champion Stakes win just 2 years later, this horse led one of the most incredible careers ever seen in horse racing. Only one rider ever had the joy of sitting on the back of this steed; Tom Queally. It was also trained by Henry Cecil.
In a wonderful but short career, then, Frankel came in, made history, and signed off as a true legend of the sport of horseracing for sure.