QEII Stakes reaffirmed as Frankel’s next target
The 2000 Guineas and Royal Ascot winner stretched his unbeaten record to eight with a mesmerising defeat of Canford Cliffs at Goodwood on Wednesday.
The Galileo colt, owned by Khalid Abdullah, holds an entry in the Juddmonte International over York’s 10 furlongs on August 17, but Cecil has all but ruled out a trip to the Knavesmire.
The Newmarket handler believes a return to Ascot on Champions Day will be his final start of the campaign, but expects Frankel to return next season as a four-year-old.
“I was thrilled and he seems fine afterwards. I’m looking forward to the next time he runs,” Cecil told Channel 4 Racing.
“He’ll have one more race and he’ll have a rest.
“If he’s well, he’ll run in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and then the idea, all going well, is that he’ll stay in training next year.
“Then he can go for the Juddmonte and things like that.
“You’ve seen him four times already (this year) and hopefully if we don’t abuse him, you’ll see a lot of him next year.”
* Nicky Henderson has been fined £3,500 by the British Horseracing Authority over the failed post-race test of Heather Royal.
He faced three charges resulting from the positive urine sample given by Heather Royal after a bumper at Huntingdon on February 10.
The five-year-old mare tested positive for the banned substance dexamethasone after finishing sixth when sent off the 5-4 favourite.
It was a result which led subsequently to Binocular’s withdrawal from the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – he had been receiving treatment for a rash with the same drug and was likely to also test positive were he to run.
The disciplinary panel accepted an admission from Henderson that he was in breach of the rule over positive drug test finding and imposed upon him a fine of £2,000.
He was also ordered to pay £500 towards the cost of the analysis of the ‘B’ sample.
