Queally confident Frankel can reproduce Guineas run
Henry Cecil’s colt produced a scarcely believable display in the first Classic of the season, quickly opening up a big advantage and eating up the Rowley Mile to record a famous win.
He is once again set to go off at long odds-on for his eagerly-anticipated return to the track and his big-race jockey can hardly wait.
“He seems fine – the horse has been good. He’s come out of the race very well and we’re hopeful he can keep his unblemished record intact,” Queally told Racing UK Radio.
“His Guineas win was amazing – it was brilliance. It was a very special day and one people will remember for a long time.
“If he’s as good as he was at Newmarket, that should be good enough. He should put on a good show on the day, hopefully. It would be nice to think he could win and we can go and enjoy it.”
The Richard Hannon-trained Dubawi Gold chased home Frankel in the Guineas at Newmarket and also filled the runner-up spot in the Irish equivalent.
Hannon’s son and assistant, Richard jnr, could not be happier with the colt’s current condition and is looking forward to Tuesday’s enthralling contest.
“He’s absolutely flying and he’s done very well,” Hannon jnr told At The Races.
“He didn’t actually have as hard a race in Ireland as he did in Newmarket, so he’ll go there fresher and better hopefully.
“We’ll obviously ride him a bit closer – we have taught him to settle now.
“I think there is a horse in there that will take a lot of beating, even for Frankel, and that is Excelebration.
“I saw him win in Germany and he looks top-class. I know he was beaten four lengths by Frankel at Newbury, but he looks a hell of a horse.
“Andrew Tinkler (Dubawi Gold’s owner) is very keen to have a go at Frankel and so he should be.”
Grand Prix Boss is a fascinating contender for his Japanese connections.
The Yoshito Yahagi-trained colt has impressed in his homeland, but racing manager Keita Tanaka acknowledges he faces his stiffest task to date on Tuesday.
“Every horse has a chance and we’ve brought the best three-year-old miler in Japan, which is equivalent to Frankel, so it’s very exciting,” Tanaka told Sky Sports News.
“He loves the environment here in Newmarket. He is doing very well and is relaxed. Everything is going to plan.
“It’s very prestigious and not many owners have the chance to have a runner at Royal Ascot. We can be very proud.
“He’s a flexible horse, so he can do any type of race. I don’t think he will come from far behind but he can go from the front, from a good position, a middle position or whatever.
“Frankel is very famous among the Japanese racing fans and we don’t have many chances to run against those kind of great horses.
“The Japanese racing fans are expecting us to be competitive as possible.
“If we thought Frankel was unbeatable, we wouldn’t have come here.”
Grand Prix Boss was cut by Stan James to 12-1 from 16s for the St James’s Palace Stakes.
