Frankel is likely to have the help of his stablemate and three-parts brother Bullet Train as a pacemaker in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot next month.
Bullet Train leads the brilliant three-year-old colt in all his work at home and trainer Sir Henry Cecil wants to ensure the Group One over a mile (1600m) is run at a proper gallop.
“I don’t want Frankel to lead all the way. Hopefully there will be a decent pace and we don’t need Bullet Train, but he is there to make sure it is a sensible pace for Frankel whatever the others do,” the Warren Place maestro said.
“He’s a three-parts brother, he’s a very good lead horse, he leads him in all his work at home.
“He’s a year older, he’s not in the same class, but he is a Classic trial winner. He’ll make sure they won’t crawl around.”
While believing there is no such thing as a certainty, Cecil admits defeat would be hard to take if he has Frankel at his best on the day (October 15).
“If I can get him right I’d be very disappointed if he doesn’t win,” he told At The Races.
“He’s got a great chance if I can get him there as I want to.
“I wouldn’t swap him, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to win.
“I don’t think he’ll really mind what the ground is. I wouldn’t mind if it did get a little bit soft. He’s a Galileo, Sadler’s Wells, he will go with a bit of give in the ground.
“He’s won with give in the ground and he’s won on fast ground. I think he will get away with whatever ground it is.”
Frankel is one of 14 remaining in the Group One, with rapidly-improving French filly Immortal Verse, trained by Robert Collet, reported to be bang on target for the mouthwatering clash.
Brendan Hayes, who manages owner Richard Strauss’ Kilfrush Stud in Ireland, said: “Immortal Verse is very well and we are targeting the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with her. We are optimistic and it looks like it is going to be a great race.
“Hopefully, she can show her usual turn of foot, although it is certainly going to be an interesting race in terms of tactics. A good pace would suit us.
“She had to miss the Moulin due to an overreach. It wasn’t very bad, but overreaches are never a good thing and so we had to miss the race.
“That means she will be going to Ascot fresh and she showed when she won the Marois that she can win when she is fresh. She is very straightforward filly to deal with, which is a big help.”
Aidan O’Brien can choose from Await The Dawn, So You Think and Zoffany, while Richard Hannon is likely to run both Dubawi Gold and Dick Turpin.
PA AAP TURF
