Frankel was reported to be fine a day after his scintillating performance in the Queen Anne Stakes.
The Sir Henry Cecil-trained superstar extended his unbeaten record to 11 wins from as many starts in the opening race of Royal Ascot, demolishing old rival Excelebration by 11 lengths.
The Sir Henry Cecil-trained superstar extended his unbeaten record to 11 wins from as many starts - Photo by Sarah Ebbett
“He lost a front shoe. I don’t know where it happened but it got loose in the last furlong (200m) and came off,” Cecil said.
“It’s been poulticed, but he’s fine and lives to fight another day.
“The idea was to go to Goodwood (Sussex Stakes) and York (Juddmonte International), but everything is open and we’ll see.”
Owner Khalid Abdullah’s racing manager, Teddy Grimthorpe, told the BBC he had watched the race in awe.
“It was a breathtaking performance by any standard,” Grimthorpe said.
“I usually just sit and yell from the stands, but actually I just watched open-mouthed.
“The amount of people that have come up to me since and said their son or daughter wasn’t really keen on racing but they saw Frankel and they’re just absolutely mad for it now.”
Frankel’s effort was not enough to earn the title of best racehorse ever, according to the handicappers at the British Horseracing Authority.
The BHA’s Dominic Gardiner-Hill said the quality of the beaten horses held the form down.
Dancing Brave, like Frankel owned by Khalid Abdullah, was awarded the highest ever official mark of 141 after his victory in the 1986 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“He went into the race on 138. I think he’s run to at least that,” Gardiner-Hill told BHAXtra.
“If we put him up, he’ll go up a maximum of a couple of pounds to a mark of 140.
“As was highlighted after the Lockinge, in the modern-day era Dancing Brave is the highest-rated horse we’ve had on 141 and at this stage I wouldn’t want to put him up above Dancing Brave.
“I don’t think it would be right to put Frankel above Dancing Brave, beating those horses, which really are no more than Group Two horses.
“He beat them a long way but when you look at the quality of the Arc that Dancing Brave won back in 1986, it was chock-full of Group One winners.”
Timeform, on the other hand, take a different view and have Frankel at a new provisional high of 147, taking him 2lb (1kg) higher than their previous best, Sea Bird II.
“The facts are that Frankel’s performance is likely to surpass anything witnessed in Timeform’s 64-year history,” David Johnson, Timeform’s Flat editor, said.
“A point worth emphasising is the consistency with which Frankel has produced such performances. This is the fifth time that he has produced a 140+ rating.”
