Frankel rated at 123, Zebedee retired to stud
The jockey was impressed, the trainer reckoned he was the best two-year-old he had trained in years and now Frankel has received the official seal of approval.
When Frankel won the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, by 10 lengths, Henry Cecil went on record as saying that he was the best juvenile he had trained since Wollow, who went on to win the 2000 Guineas in 1976, a race for which Frankel has been made market leader.
Tom Queally feels that the colt has that touch of class even if Cecil has expressed doubts, on grounds of breeding, whether Frankel has the requisite stamina for the Derby but the class of the colt’s performance has brought him the highest rating of a Royal Lodge winner for the last 20 years, according to the BHA juvenile handicapper, Matthew Tester.
Frankel has been awarded a rating of 123 and, explaining his reasoning, Tester said: “It was impossible not to be impressed with the style of Frankel’s win at Ascot on Saturday when landing the Royal Lodge by 10 lengths. Whilst it is true that none of his opponents were likely to test a champion, the manner of his run and the huge winning margin has landed him an official rating of 123.
“This is easily the best Royal Lodge performance of the last twenty years and puts him well ahead of horses like Benny The Dip (113) and Mister Baileys (115), who won the race before success in the Derby and the 2,000 Guineas respectively the next year. Eltish at 118 is the next highest winner for this race and he went on to land the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile back in 1994.
“I can't wait to see Frankel take on stronger opposition next time in the Dewhurst Stakes. In the last 10 years the highest rated two-year-olds have been Johannesburg and New Approach, each of whom reached 126. It is 16 years since Celtic Swing was credited with 130 for crushing his Racing Post Trophy opposition and it will be exciting to see if Frankel can hit those heights.”
Frankel’s next race will be his first attempt at Group One level, in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket next month, but another prominent juvenile has already run his last race.
Zebedee, who cost only 70,000gns and was defeated just once in seven-race career, has been retired by owner Julie Wood in a deal which will see the Invincible Spirit colt stand at stud in Ireland. Trained by Richard Hannon, Zebedee’s victories included the Tattersalls Millions Auction Stakes at Newmarket, a Listed race at Sandown Park, the Group Three Molecomb and the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster earlier this month.
Hannon, speaking on his website, said: “Zebedee proved an absolute star for us, and it was a pleasure to have him in the yard. He gave us some great days, winning the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and the Molecomb at Goodwood, besides mopping up one of the big sales races at Newmarket.”
The decision to quit this soon was based on a mixture of economics and the harsh reality of the prospects of three-year-old sprinter who would be weighted out of handicaps against his own age group and having to take on seasoned campaigners in Pattern races next year.
"You never like losing one of your best horses,” Hannon said “but Zebedee was only small and a sprinter through-and-through, so it would have been tough for him next season against the older speed merchants and I can quite understand Julie accepting an offer for him to stand at stud in Ireland.”
Despite his prolific season, through which he has won over £160,000, Zebedee has still proved to be a loser for his trainer. "I will miss the little horse, though he cost me a monkey,” Hannon explained. “I bet Julie £500 at the start of the season that Auld Burns [another Hannon juvenile] would end the year with a higher rating than Zebedee, and, though I remain convinced that Auld Burns will eventually reward my faith, I was always going to have to pay up on this one.”
One Hannon horse who has definitely paid his way is Canford Cliffs. The Tagula colt missed out on the chance of a fourth Group One victory this season when he was scratched from the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot when he scoped badly 72 hours before the race but could run again this season.
Hannon said: “The owners seem keen to have another run, though there is nothing left for him in Europe, so I suppose if he does go again they will be looking at the Breeders Cup Mile in Kentucky as well as Japan and Hong Kong. If they decide against travelling him this year, we'll pack him up until next season.
“Paco Boy is on target to take on Goldikova again on Sunday in the Prix de Forêt at Longchamp, and I would imagine that the owners will then sit down and decide whether to have one last roll of the dice at Churchill Downs, while d**k Turpin, who, like Canford, is coming back to us as a four-year-old, is not entered in the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket so he has just the one option if John Manley (owner) wants to run again, the Vittorio di Capua in Milan on Sunday week."
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