Cirrus ready for Frankel showdown

Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe insists she has not formulated a masterplan in which Cirrus Des Aigles inflicts a first career defeat upon Frankel at Ascot on Saturday.

The Qipco Champion Stakes will provide a captivating final test for Sir Henry Cecil’s Frankel, an equine aristocrat who could be given his most serious challenge by an unfashionably-bred six-year-old gelding.

Relaxed as Cirrus Des Aigles chewed off various parts of her coat from through his stable door, Barande-Barbe is relishing the opportunity against the colt now regarded as possibly the greatest of all time. Cirrus Des Aigles clearly rules the roost at his place, a charming throwback to another age with several fine oaks and a browning horse chestnut tree marking the centre, and heritage roses climbing the walls.