A not fully-fit Frankel was still far too classy for the opposition as Henry Cecil’s budding superstar made a more than satisfactory start to his season in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury.
Expectation ahead of the crucial 2000 Guineas trial and Frankel was cut to around 4-6 following his four-length success.
Frankel was headstrong in each of his four victories last year culminating in the Dewhurst at Newmarket, and he was again eager to get on with things with his pacemaker Picture Editor hardly stretching the six-runner field.
The 1-4 favourite briefly tilted his head to one side when Tom Queally began to ask him for an effort but the response was unrivalled and by the line he was still stretching away from Excelebration, who had stuck with him to the furlong (200m) marker.
“This will have taught him something,” Cecil said.
“I said beforehand that whatever he did today, he would come on for it, and he has had a good blow.
“Hopefully he will be spot-on for the Guineas.
“Tom said the hardest thing he had to do was pull him up.
“Tom said he felt 80 per cent today. Hopefully after two or three more pieces of work in the build-up to the Guineas he’ll be much nearer 100 per cent.”
A decision has not been made as to whether Frankel will head to the Derby, where he is also a hot favourite, but Cecil and owner Prince Khalid Abdullah now have another fascinating candidate.
World Domination (3-1) was one for the Newmarket grapevine and ran right away with the totesport Maiden Stakes.
Interestingly, Cecil’s Commander In Chief beat his odds-on favourite stablemate Tenby at Epsom in 1993 having also made his racecourse debut at three.
“He will come on a lot, but he is more grown up than I expected,” Cecil said.
“He travelled through the race like an old handicapper.
“I said to the Prince at the last (supplementary) stage that we should put him in the Derby, just in case he was a Derby or a King Edward VII horse.
“I’m not sure what I will do with him, he needs another race and we will have to see whether I go for one of the Derby trials or maybe take him to Newmarket for a trial.”
PA AAP TURF
