The £100million unbeaten champion: Frankel hailed as world's greatest thoroughbred
The £100million unbeaten champion: Frankel hailed as world's greatest thoroughbred after winning all 14 races and his Royal fans are enthralled
- Racehorse Frankel won this afternoon's £1.3 million Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot
- The four-year-old racehorse, trained by Sir Henry Cecil, has won all 13 of his previous races
- Frankel will now be retired for a breeding career
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER PUBLISHED: 16:34 GMT, 20 October 2012 | UPDATED: 00:32 GMT, 21 October 2012
Frankel, the world’s greatest racehorse, bowed out in typically brilliant style yesterday, storming to victory at Ascot in his final outing.Nicknamed ‘Usain Colt’, the thoroughbred was cheered on by a 32,000 sell-out crowd, which included the Queen, who looked positively ecstatic and held her arms aloft and cheered.Frankel’s triumph means he has won every one of the 14 races in which he has competed. One bloodstock agent described the four-year-old horse as ‘the point to which the thoroughbred has evolved’.
Frankel, considered one of the best racehorses of all time, raced to victory in the prestigious Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot today
The four-year-old horse, pictured left, won his 14th and final race in front of the Queen
For many, the day belonged to his trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, who said the horse had sustained and inspired him in his struggle against cancer.Amid emotional scenes, Sir Henry, 69, said: ‘He’s the best I’ve ever had. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. I’d be surprised if there’s ever been any better.’
Frankel will now be retired to stud at Newmarket for a second career as a stallion during which he is expected to earn more than £100 million for his owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, a member of the Saudi Arabian ruling family.In spite of the raucous crowd, which Sir Henry said Frankel didn’t much like, the wonder colt remained calm throughout the build-up to the race.
The seal of approval! The Queen looks delighted as she cheers as Frankel wins
Zara Phillips watches the races along side Autumn Phillips and Princess Beatrice as 'Usain Colt' raced to victory
Frankel and Tom Queally with Sir Henry Cecil (right) after winning The Qipco Champion Stakes
Frankel was the 2-11 favourite and beat Cirrus des Aigles by almost two lengths at Ascot, pictured today
There was concern that the ground at Ascot, pictured today, might have been too demanding for the horse, who is owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah
Frankel's trainer Sir Henry Cecil proudly holds an award after the horse wowed the crowds
Indeed, he was perhaps too calm as he was slow out of the starting stalls when the race began and Ian Mongan, riding Frankel’s pacemaker, Bullet Train, spent the early stages looking around to see where his stable companion had got to. But Frankel’s rider Tom Queally worked hard to launch the 2-11 favourite into his stride and used his whip to ease him past his French rival Cirrus Des Aigles in the final furlong – burying prior concerns over Frankel’s ability to cope with soft ground.
Among the other cheering onlookers was Princess Beatrice, a blooming Zara Phillips and her husband, rugby player Mike Tindall, and Zara’s brother Peter and his wife Autumn.Frankel’s previous 13 victories included the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, the St James’s Palace Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes. Teddy Grimthorpe, the Prince’s racing manager, said: ‘He’s wonderful. The crowd’s reaction is great – the greatest for the greatest. 'Frankel has brought a whole new generation of people to the sport.
'He’s brought a wider public recognition of the sport and he’s given them something to savour. 'He is the ultimate equine athlete. We’ve never seen anything like him. 'Prince Khalid said to me he has run his last race and I think that is the correct decision – he has given us three sensational years.’
Glory days: Tom Queally celebrates victory on board Frankel this year at York (left) and Newmarket (right)
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