Royal Ascot 2012: It’s Frankel’s World

Poor Excelebration. I mean this is a world class miler, but with the King around, I can only imagine this horse with an empty gruel bowl sheepishly going up to the huge presence that is Frankel … “Please, sir, I want some more.” Oh he’ll get some more, and then some.

What a way for the Royal Ascot meet to get underway. The world’s top ranked horse will take to the turf soon after the Royal carriages have signaled the opening of perhaps the most famous race meet on the planet. A field of eleven will contest the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes as the 14:30 opening race of a fantastic string of contests set to be run at the famed racecourse, and if you are hoping for anything but a powerful canter down the straight for another easy victory by Frankel, you will most likely go home sorely disappointed.

Eleven. That will be the number of pure perfection tomorrow at Ascot. Ten times the powerful four-year-old son of Galileo has hit the racetrack, and without exception he has come away a powerful victor. In his first ten races the only race that made him look close to mortal came one year ago in the St. James Palace Stakes at, you guessed it, Royal Ascot. That day, Frankel held on to victory by the tiny margin (for him) of only three-quarters of a length. In the rest of his races, he made mincemeat of the fields, in some of the most important miles in the world.

So is there any reason at all to think that one of the other ten horses lining up to face King Frankel can actually compete with, let alone defeat, him. Chief among his competition tomorrow is the aforementioned four-year-old colt, Excelebration. The winner of six of his last ten starts, the Aidan O’Brien trained, and Joseph O’Brien ridden colt has had the ultimate misfortune of running against Frankel in each of those four losses. Poor Excelebration.

Look for Frankel to roll home tomorrow in a beautiful opening to the Royal Ascot meet. Sir Henry Cecil's superstar colt has already proven too good at a flat mile against anything he will see tomorrow. Bigger challenges may come if and when Frankel stretches out to distances farther than a mile, but even then, I would not bet against him.

Enjoy a regal performance tomorrow at Royal Ascot, racefans, for Frankel is something very, very special.