John Singleton has knocked back an invitation to run his mare More Joyous at Royal Ascot and offered to put up $1 million to help get Frankel to Australia.
The often controversial and always irreverent owner and breeder of More Joyous said the prizemoney could not tempt him offshore.
Royal Ascot issued an invitation to More Joyous for the STG250,000 ($A390,350) Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) on Saturday night following her victory in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick.
Singleton said an overseas trip would interfere with plans to tackle the Cox Plate in the spring but as he did the rounds of the media on Sunday morning, the idea grew of a 1400m race in Australia featuring Frankel, More Joyous, Black Caviar and unbeaten filly Atlantic Jewel.
“(Trainer) Gai Waterhouse rang and said we’d been invited to the Queen Anne,” Singleton said.
“The Pommies must think we’re absolute mugs.
“You’ve got to dress up and the prizemoney is
250,000.
“Then she can’t run in the Cox plate so what’s the point.
“They want to put up a million (pounds) so that Frankel races Black Caviar over a mile in England.
“Why do that.
“Why don’t the clubs here put up a million dollars and bring Frankel out here. I said if it needed it I’d put in a million dollars if (trainer) Sir Henry Cecil comes out here.
“Imagine 1400 (metres) – Atlantic Jewel and Black Caviar and More Joyous and Frankel.
“Our weather’s better and the prizemoney’s better.”
Singleton said all going well, More Joyous would back up in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the final day of the Randwick autumn carnival.
The 2000 metre race will tell him and Waterhouse whether the mare’s next preparation will be aimed at the Cox Plate.
“If she wins or runs well then she has a Cox Plate preparation,” he said.
More Joyous has won 18 of her 25 starts and her Doncaster win was number seven for Waterhouse.
Singleton said he had no thoughts about retiring More Joyous for another year or two if she was still enjoying racing.
“I can’t see why she won’t run next year or the the year after,” he said.
“I’ve got enough broodmares and breeding is a long and boring process.
“Racing is much more exciting.
“I’ve never had a horse who has won 18 races let along 17 Group races.
“I want to see her race.”
