Frankel, again!

We’ll see if he knows this is just a workout :wink:

The Champion Stakes, staged at Ascot over 10 furlongs, is just over three weeks away and connections behind the world’s highest-rated horse do not want to leave anything to chance.

“We are going to try to make it like race conditions, whether Frankel will be fooled by that is another matter,” Lord Grimthorpe, the racing manager to owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, told Racing UK, a British racing channel.

“He will go through all the correct motions. He will be saddled, will take a turn in the paddock and will go down and have a good workout of just under a mile.”

Frankel will be accompanied in the public gallop at Newmarket Racecourse by his regular work partner Bullet Train, and stablemate Midsummer Sun.

The trio will work over around seven furlongs.

“…will almost certainly be his final race…”

Guess I had heard this somewhere in the past, but it hadn’t really sunk in…

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151136541267670&set=a.385429772669.169560.63355332669&type=1&theater

Thoroughbred Daily News
“In preparation for what will almost certainly be his final race in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. Oct. 20, Frankel was put through his paces on Wednesday morning with a workout on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse.”

[QUOTE=CVPeg;6602359]
Guess I had heard this somewhere in the past, but it hadn’t really sunk in…[/QUOTE]

Yep - hence Her Majesty is making a decided point to be there for Champions Day (so too her horse, Carlton House, who is running) and presenting the trophy.

An article from this afternoon on Frankel: DRF 10/11/12 “Frankel spurs debate over all-time greatest racehorses”

ETA - I assume that TVG and/or HRTV will air this live in the US. Anyone know if that’s confirmed? I should be at Keeneland that day.

Champions day page; http://www.britishchampionsseries.com/news/headlines/lights-camera…frankel-action.html

Get your expatshield warmed up and watch it on the beeb.

“You can watch the spectacular Series finale, featuring a stellar supporting cast to Frankel, live on TV, by tuning into BBC 1, BBC 1 HD, Racing UK (Sky 432) or Attheraces (Sky 415) from 1.30pm and listen to all the action on BBC Radio 5 Live.”

Workout ; http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/latest-news/frankel-s-rowley-mile-farewell-1-4329363
http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/sport/other-sport/frankel-flies-in-racecourse-gallop-video-1-3831507#.T60DapClW0I.twitter

I’m really happy for Henry Cecil.

“I do everything by instinct really, not by the book,” he shrugs. “I like to think I’ve got a feeling for and understand my horses, that they tell me what to do really. I like to think I have a sort of rapport where I don’t just treat them as something to help me earn a living. It’s a partnership.” And might this latest partnership with Frankel just be the best of the lot?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/8823048/Henry-Cecil-the-perfect-man-to-handle-wonderhorse-Frankel.html

Also confirmed that TVG & HRTC will be airing live the British Champions Day in The States :wink: Each channel takes the same feed from England.

Post position times (Eastern/Pacific) are noted below.

8:50am / 5:50am: Long Distance
9:25 / 6:25: Sprint
10:00 / 7:00: Fillies & Mares Stakes
10:35 / 7:35: Mile (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes)
11:10 / 8:10: Middle Distance (Champion Stakes)

From The Thoroughbred Times (yea, go figure their website still is refreshed):

Undefeated European superstar Frankel will attempt to stay perfect in Saturday’s Sony Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-G1) at Ascot and racing fans in the U.S. will be able to catch the action live on either HRTV or TVG.

HRTV will broadcast Frankel’s bid for his ninth consecutive victory as part of its “Westrock Coffee First Call” program. Post time for the Queen Elizabeth II is set for 10:35 a.m. EDT.

HRTV will also broadcast four other stakes on the QIPCO British Champions Day program at Ascot—the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (Eng-G1), John Guest Diadem Stakes (Eng-G2), Pride Stakes (Eng-G2), and Jockey Club Cup Stakes (Eng-G3).

TVG’s coverage of the Champions Day program will begin at 9 a.m. EDT with commentary from Simon Bray and Stephen Burn.

http://www.britishchampionsseries.com/news/headlines.html

Brisnet 10-15-12 “Seven confirmed to face Frankel in Champion”

Frankel, in what is expected to be the final start of his remarkable unbeaten career, Cirrus des Aigles and Nathaniel are all set to contest Europe’s richest 10-furlong race, the Group 1, £1.3 million Champion Stakes at Ascot, which could make it one of the highest-rated races this century.

German raider Pastorius was also confirmed Monday for Saturday’s race and is set to take his chance for trainer Mario Hofer. The three-year-old has won twice at Group 1 level this year, taking the Deutches Derby over 12 furlongs and the 10-furlong Bayerisches Zuchtrennen. On his most recent start, the Solder Hollow colt recorded a comfortable Group 3 victory over 10 furlongs at Hoppegarten on October 3.

That isn’t chicken feed for a purse either with it being approx $2,089,600 USD.

Wow - yes, that’s some purse!!

Thanks again, GG for the media connections!

Video: TUE 10-16-12 ‘At the Races’ gets an update from racing Mgr Lord Grimthorpe

Frankel’s half-brother Morpheus will make his debut tomorrow (Wed)

Latest workout video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19O6bJ91x7E

Frankel’s half-brother Morpheus will make his debut tomorrow (Wed) at Nottingham

Not billed as being the next Frankel, but certainly a ton of interest and went off as the 2nd wagering favorite today.

SportingLife Oct 17th: “Frankel half-brother fails to shine”

Morpheus finished seventh as he was pushed out with hands and heels by Tom Queally.

May not run if track too soft

HRTV reporting that the AP says the above. :frowning:

http://www.hrtv.com/videos/?VideoCategoryId=2&VideoId=lzJ14zuOhJvXsN4i5r0npiH%2Fu14HErkIkwnVN7id4sE%3D

and mentioned in Bloodhorse here,

The connections of undefeated Frankel will walk the rain-soaked course at Ascot Oct. 20 before confirming whether the unbeaten colt will compete in the Qipco Champion Stakes (Eng-I), scheduled as the final race of his dazzling career.

Rain has fallen steadily at Ascot throughout the week, leaving open the possibility that Frankel could be withdrawn from the six-horse field Saturday if conditions are considered unsafe.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Frankel’s owner Khalid Abdullah, said Oct. 19, “We will look at it in the morning. It depends obviously what happens.”

The track is soft and heavy in places. It would be the first time Frankel has run on such conditions since the first of his 13 straight wins.

Frankel will face stiff competition from defending champion Cirrus des Aigles and Nathaniel in Saturday’s race.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/73697/frankel-could-be-scratched-if-ground-too-soft

and even more details from the DRF…

10/19/2012 4:37PM
Frankel’s connections concerned about wet course conditions for Champion Stakes
By Marcus Hersh

More rain fell at already sodden Ascot Racecourse on Friday afternoon, prompting the first statements of concern from the connections of Frankel, the undefeated superstar who is entered to race Saturday in the Champion Stakes.

The Ascot course has been listed as soft for several days, but after the area received a little more than a tenth of an inch of rain Friday, the clerk of the course downgraded the turf condition on the round course, over which the Champion will be contested, from soft all around to soft-to-heavy in spots. Saturday is forecast to be dry, but showers are again possible Friday night.

Faced with the prospect of a heavy course, the Frankel camp said Friday they’d have to evaluate turf conditions on race day before giving Frankel the final go-ahead to start in the Champion. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, said Frankel’s connections “desperately want Frankel to run,” but that Frankel’s participation was contingent upon finding suitable going on Saturday.

“We are going to walk it and the intention is to run if we can,” Grimthorpe said.

It is not just the rain the course will have taken that would concern Frankel’s connections, but the fact that the Champion is the fifth race on Ascot’s card. Three of the four races preceding Frankel’s will have been run on the round course – the fourth, a straight-course sprint, utilizes the same homestretch – and in such wet conditions, the course figures to be chopped up by the time Champion goes.

There was no talk about what sort of backup plan might be put in place should Frankel be scratched from the Champion, the last race of any great significance during the European flat season. Juddmonte has been a regular participant in Breeders’ Cup races, but Frankel’s connections – trainer Henry Cecil in particular – have quickly shot down discussion of a Breeders’ Cup appearance throughout 2012.

http://www.drf.com/news/frankels-connections-concerned-about-wet-course-conditions-champion-stakes

http://www.anddownthestretchtheycome.com/international-racing/2012/10/19/3527906/2012-british-champions-day-going-report-frankel

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/horse-racing/racing-sold-out-ascot-to-bid-frankel-a-fond-farewell-1-2590059

Sky is providing good updates; looks overcast and perhaps the turf is softer than they’d prefer but less than 2 hours to post and it seems all systems are go for Frankel.

What a horse! :slight_smile:

Know its not a big deal overall for the casual racing public but it would be sort of cool if one announcer today acknowledged the great horse’s namesake. Not a big deal at all but it’s fun to try to imagine what Bobby Frankel would have thought about all this.

Great! Also confirmed in HRTV FB posting that his connections have stated he’s going to run! Hooray! Coverage at 10:30!

The race is off at approx. 11:05 EST a.m. although I’m in Kentucky and not near a tv with HRTV/TVG - go figure.

Wicked cool was this - see pictures - The Queen’s Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment sporting Frankel’s silks :smiley:

Commenting on behalf of The Household Cavalry, Captain Fred Hopkinson said: 'It was a real honour to be able to wear Frankel’s colours today.

'In our unique role as Her Majesty’s Life Guard we see inspirational human acts on the frontlines and work with these wonderful horses at home.

‘Frankel is a horse that embodies all of that grit, courage and flare that we strive for in the Household Cavalry at home and on operations.’

I thought this was interesting from the Paulick Report: 13 Facts about British hero Frankel

#5. He eats three feeds each day and snacks on English hay – older horses usually eat American hay, but this proved a little too rich for Frankel. For his main feed, he eats corn, alfalfa chaff and bran, and likes a carrot treat. He also has a calcium supplement to keep his bones in good shape. He eats more than any other horse in the yard – about 23lbs of Canadian oats per day, which is the equivalent of approximately 600 Weetabix biscuits.

American hay shipped to the UK? And I thought our hay was expensive now - think of the shipping and VAT on that :smiley:

Woooot!! He did it!

Whew, Im glad thats over with.

Replay!

Woo-hoo!!!

Spotted the field 2-3 lengths and still brought it off!

Hung out in the gate a bit, just to give the others a little head start!:eek:

But still pretty much finished his own way. :slight_smile: