Frankel crowned master of the turf

Frankel was finally granted the ultimate position in the recent history of Flat racing as the World Thoroughbred Rankings announced him as the highest-rated horse since their system began in 1977 with a mark of 140.

While now widely acknowledged as the greatest of all time, Henry Cecil’s colt would not even have beaten the previous marker had Dancing Brave’s 141 in 1986 not been reduced by three to to 138.

However, the group of handicappers across Europe who comprise the ranking committee have long voiced their concern that methods have evolved over the last 35 years, and that some horses have ended up with figures which are slightly too high.