Frankel has confirmed his status as the best horse in the world in no uncertain terms by becoming the first horse in history to run to an official rating of 140 twice in his career thanks to his seven-length victory in yesterday's Juddmonte International Stakes at York.
Just as remarkably, he has achieved that rating over two different distances, once over a mile in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and yesterday over an extended mile and a quarter.
It is not just his almost unbelievable superiority over the best of the rest, it is also his exceptional consistency which marks him as a horse the like of which we have never seen before.
He is unbeaten in 13 races, nine at the highest Group One level, with his average winning distance an incredible 5 ¾ lengths and he has run to a rating above 130 in each of his last six outings.
He now has the opportunity to match or even beat the end-of-career 141 awarded to Dancing Brave in 1986, most likely in the £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes, Europe's most valuable mile and a quarter race and the highlight of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 20 October.
"To achieve 140 twice in his career is a ground-breaking performance by the world's best racehorse and he could yet go on to match or even top Dancing Brave's 141, perhaps on QIPCO British Champions Day," said the British Horseracing Authority's Head of Handicapping, Phil Smith, this morning.
"I took into account the ease with which he went seven lengths clear yesterday to equate that to a nine and a quarter length victory, which at 1¾ pounds per length puts him 16 pounds clear of the pair who fought out second place.
"Farhh's rating has been raised from 122 to 124 to match that of St Nicholas Abbey, who was a nose behind him in third, while I have upgraded Nathaniel's mark in winning the Eclipse and finishing second in the King George to 125 from 124."
Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series, said: "We are obviously hoping that Frankel's swansong before he retires to stud will come at Ascot in the QIPCO Champion Stakes on 20 October when his legions of fans can bid the greatest racehorse any of us are ever likely to see a very special farewell.
"If last year's winner, Cirrus des Aigles, who is the second best middle distance horse in the world behind Frankel this season on a rating of 128, four pounds higher than Farhh and St Nicholas Abbey, takes him on, then he will have the perfect opportunity to produce that all-time best performance that everyone craves.
"He has now won eight QIPCO British Champions Series races, such that it is almost as though the Series was created for him last year, and he now sits proudly at the top of the Mile and Middle Distance ratings tables for this season like a colossus.
"Ticket sales for QIPCO British Champions Day are already running well ahead of last year at this stage and if Frankel's participation is confirmed, we could have a very rapid sell-out indeed!"
2012 QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES MILE PERFORMANCE TABLE
HORSE – RACE – RATING
- Frankel – Queen Anne Stakes – 140
- Excelebration – JLT Lockinge Stakes – 125
- Camelot – QIPCO 2000 Guineas – 119
2012 QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES MIDDLE DISTANCE PERFORMANCE TABLE
HORSE – RACE – RATING
1 Frankel – Juddmonte International – 140
2 Nathaniel – Coral-Eclipse Stakes & Betfair King George – 125
3= Camelot – Investec Derby – 124
3= So You Think – Prince of Wales's Stakes – 124
3= St Nicholas Abbey – Investec Coronation Cup & Juddmonte International – 124
3= Farhh – Judmonte International – 124
Allison is the Publisher of Eclipse Magazine. She loves going to the Races and is learning to bet (despite being officially the worst bettor in the History of the Universe), there’s a lot more to learn…
