Frankel: what failed as a media publicity, came larger than life as stud duty
The horse who won only the richest races of the industry and that too without losing any in between, could not pull out as much of an audience as was expected to turn up for the final race of his career. Frankel was also the hope to which many looked up
for adding more allure and attraction to the sport for which he had become the true ambassador.
His last race was no small deal with BBC, which kept on with the build-up weeks before the race was due, and broadcasted for hours on the Champion Stakes day at the Ascot race course. The follow-up did not turn out as was desired. The crowds and fans who
were expected to flow right out of the stands could only be 100,000 more than the 1.1 million attendance last year.
Not that Frankel was any lesser a celebrity back then, but the race was never advertised as his final and last. According to many, the promotion of such a grand event was not done in a manner that it deserved. Even then, when Frankel was racing for the last
time, it was news enough for collecting record audience.
"I don't think we had very much in the way of aggressive promotion during the build-up from the BBC," he said. "Perhaps, because it's their last day covering Flat racing, it is arguable whether they went to town on it in the same way they would have done
for the Grand National in years gone by.
"I think you can expect a h**l of a lot more promotion in the build-up [by Channel 4] leading to the day next year." The BBC's press office stated nothing in reference to the number of spectators.
It now seems that there were more waiting for the top miler of the world to get retired than those who waited the final time he raced the pink, white and green colours of his owner, Khalid Abdullah, to the winner’s enclosure.
Galileo’s colt has been registered as the third most expensive in terms of the stud fee. Even though his first crop will get to race in 2016, connections of many top of the line racing mares are eager to get the off-springs for their stables.
If the to be top sire will be able to give to his foals the charisma that he brought on to the tracks or not, while take some time to unfold.
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