The undefeated three-year-old and now the Cartier winner, Frankel
The quest for the Horse of the Year was bleakly apparent but not decisive till it paved its way to Frankel.
Those who were considered as close nominees included Blue Bunting, Treasure Beach and Midday. The fact that these horses got a chance to stand neck to neck with Sir Henry Cecil’s three-year-old unbeaten Frankel was an achievement in itself.
The unparalleled consistency that Frankel has displayed time and again has opened doors for many such opportunities that will come his way in the future as well.
The honour and pride which the colt bestowed his connections with, specifically the owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah and trainer Sir Henry Cecil by winning the ultimate award that is given in flat horse racing is a landmark that the two have never accomplished
before with any other horse.
It might as well be the first and last time that they get to stay ‘connected’ with such a miracle that has yet again gone out of his way as if sustaining an unbeatable record was easy enough.
The three-year-old Blue Bunting trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni has raced five times this season and has won three times with once coming fourth and then sixth in the last race that she ran.
Blue Bunting has won the Qipco 1000 Guineas on 1st May at Newmarket then the Darley Irish Oaks Group 1 on 17th July at Curragh and the last victory was in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks Group 1 on 18th August at York.
Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old Galileo colt, Treasure Beach won thrice out of the seven times he raced. On 26th June he won the Dubai Irish Derby Group 1at Curragh and then on 13th August Treasure Beach won the Secretariat Stakes Group
1 at Arlington Park.
The eldest candidate for the award was the five-year-old Midday who won two races out of the seven starts this season, firstly there were the Middleton Stakes Group 2 on 12th May at York. On 30th July at Goodwood Midday won the Nassau
Stakes British Champions’ Series Group 1.
Keeping in view the performances above and the till yet unbeaten record of Frankel it is not very difficult to judge that why has he been given the Cartier Award.
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