Frankel fires Classic dreams
Frankel is a red-hot favourite for next season’s 2000 Guineas and Derby after he destroyed his rivals in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot.
Sent off 30-100 to preserve his unbeaten record for owner Khalid Abdullah and trainer Henry Cecil, Frankel is 2-1 from 5-1 for the Guineas and 7-2 from 10s for the Derby and just 6-1 to do the double with William Hill.
That reaction came after Tom Queally’s hard-pulling mount sauntered round rivals to lead at the entrance to the home straight before exploding away to score by 10 lengths from Klammer.
Cecil, when pressed to rate the son of Galileo, who is named after the late American trainer Bobby Frankel, did not hold back.
He enthused: “He’s exciting and has huge potential and I think he’s slightly out of the ordinary.
“He was beautifully behaved walking round the paddock and is just a baby. The way he won today, I doubt I’ve had a better two-year-old since Wollow and that was almost 40 years ago.”
The Warren Place trainer hinted he would like to end Frankel’s season in the Jumeirah Dewhurst Stakes in preference to the Racing Post Trophy.
Recalling Frankel, regarded as one of the best North American-based trainers of the last 30 years, Cecil added: “Bobby Frankel was a great character, a tough man and I’m sad that he has gone.”
White Moonstone (4-5 favourite) also emerged as an ante-post market leader for two Classics when buckling down gamely for Frankie Dettori to reel-in Theyskens’ Theory and then hold Together in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile.
Stan James clipped the Godolphin-owned filly to 6-1 favourite for the 1000 Guineas and 7-1 from 8s for the Oaks.
White Moonstone was not as impressive as when landing the May Hill Stakes on her previous start, but connections were still more than satisfied.
Dettori said: “I don’t think she ran as good as at Doncaster but that was only two weeks ago.
“She was a bit fresh in the paddock and her turn of foot wasn’t as good, but her class pulled her through.
“It was a good performance today and now we can dream.”
Bin Suroor observed: “It’s more likely we will take her back to Dubai than give her another race this year. Then we will bring her back for the Guineas.
“She is more of a three-year-old and should get a mile and a quarter. She could stay the Oaks distance, we will have to see.”
Godolphin also struck in the Deloitte Rosemary Stakes as 20-1 shot Aspectoflove got up in the final stride to deprive Sajjhaa by a nose.
The winner was returning to the level of form she produced at the Dubai Carnival, having shown little in three subsequent outings in Britain.
Winning rider Ted Durcan said: “She ran at Royal Ascot and York and needed a holiday after her last run here to sweeten her up at home.
“The other filly was always holding us until the last six strides when, luckily, things went our way.”
Bin Suroor added: “She finished strongly to be second twice in Dubai. She’d been doing it nicely from the front in her work at home, but today I told Ted to sit in behind and make his challenge late.”
