30 April
FRANKEL beat his rivals into submission with a breathtaking display in the today’s feature the Qipco 2000 Guineas.
The Henry Cecil-trained son of Galileo is now six from six, returning at odds of 1/2, the shortest priced winner since Nijinsky in 1970.
Jockey Tom Queally kicked Frankel into an early lead and he was never for catching. He had a clear lead heading into ‘The Dip’ and galloped powerfully to the line, scoring by six lengths from Dubawi Gold and Native Khan.
It was a fourth win in the race for owner Prince Khalid Abdulla and a third for trainer Henry Cecil. It was Queally’s first win in a Classic.
A delighted Cecil said: “It was lovely wasn’t it? It is a relief. Everything has gone right and he is a very, very good horse. It’s difficult to compare years but he’s right there with them.
“Whether he’ll get a mile and a half is another question but he’s in the Dante or of he’s more a miler then there’s the St James’s Palace.
“We’ll leave it open and it’s entirely up to how the horse is and seeing what the Prince wants to do.”
Queally added: “The first thing you think is what kind of speed are you going but on Frankel it feels like a routine canter. Then he quickened and lengthened away. It’s fantastic.”
Dandino (7/4F) gained a first win in Group company in the Group 2 Qipco Jockey Club Stakes when just getting the better of Native Ruler by a nose.
The pair fought it out over the last two furlongs with Native Ruler hitting the front but Dandino battled back under Paul Mulrennan to land the spoils.
Winning trainer James Given said: “I’m very pleased and proud of Dandino. He’ll go to the Coronation Cup now and we’re in the race so it’s the obvious target.
“I think getting his head in front at Ripon really helped and he got lots of confidence from it.”
There was blanket finish to the Pearl Bloodstock Palace House Stakes with the Bryan Smart-trained Tangerine Trees (18/1) making every yard of the running to win.
The son of Mind Games stuck his neck out gamely in the closing stages to repel Rain Delayed and Johnny Mudball by half a length.
Smart said: “He's a proper horse this and he has got bags of speed. I think he could go all the way.
“He's entered in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot and we'll have a look at the Temple Stakes, but he's not a horse you want to run too much.”
Ocean War (4/1) could be another Derby prospect for trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni and Godolphin following his two lengths win in the Makfi Newmarket Stakes.
The son of Dalakhani travelled smoothly in the hands of Mikael Barzalona and stayed on strongly to win going away from Cai Shen.
Al Zarooni said: “He could be a Derby horse. He has a lot of options and we’ll see how he is at home before deciding on a trial or he could go straight there as he doesn’t want running too much.”
Green Destiny(13/2) looked a Group horse masquerading in a handicap when taking the Qipco Suffolk Handicap for trainer William Haggas and jockey Michael Hills.
The son of Marju, a dual winner last season, scooted away from a competitive looking field to score by just under four lengths.
Haggas said: “He did well to win twice last year and he should go on from this. He won’t be running again on quick ground – we got away with it today but I don’t want to do it again.”
Seal Rock (9/2) maintained his unbeaten record with a game win in the Qatar Bloodstock handicap for trainer Henry Candy and jockey Dane O’Neill.
The winning trainer said: “He’s not bad for £800! He did well to win first time out last November as he hadn’t done much work and you could say the same today. He’s a delightful character and can hopefully go on from this.”
The finale on the card, the Qipco Supports Racing Welfare handicap, went to Bahceli for trainer Richard Hannon and jockey Richard Hughes.
Don’t miss day two of the Qipco Guineas Festival tomorrow on the Rowley Mile. First race 2:05.
