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HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS AUGUST 25, 2012 by Dick Powell Just how good is Frankel? I had some doubts through his first 12 wins when he was beating modest company going no farther than a mile while staying at home in Great Britain. Undefeated and unchallenged, the negative was that Sir Henry Cecil had not sent the Juddmonte runner out looking for new horizons but seemed content to stay home and beat the same horses going the same distance. No matter how fast he ran and how far he won by, there were still some doubts about Frankel joining the pantheon of horse racing's immortals. Then came Wednesday at York in the 10 1/2-furlong, Group 1 Juddmonte International. Frankel was finally going to leave his comfort zone and try something new against a field that included Breeders' Cup Turf and Group 2 Coronation Cup winner St Nicholas Abbey while racing longer than he ever had. To show you the respect that the other horsemen have for Frankel, Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Juddmonte, told Racing Post of the following conversation that he had with St Nicholas Abbey's owner, John Magnier: "This is what we are going to do. Our two boys will go on and St Nicholas Abbey will follow. There would be no funny business." So as competitive as Magnier is, and he was going to do everything possible to help St Nicholas Abbey with two different pacemakers, he was not going to do anything to hurt Frankel. In a warped way, I wish he had since Frankel's Juddmonte International was the proverbial walk in the park but it still gave us a glimpse into how great he really is. Tom Queally, Frankel's regular rider, was content to sit near the rear of the field while his and Coolmore's pacemakers did their thing. When the field came out of the bend and straightened away, there were about three furlongs to run and Queally sent Frankel to the stand's side rail to take up his position. Ahead to his left was Joseph O'Brien aboard St. Nicholas Abbey and in the middle of the track was Frankie Dettori aboard Farrh in the blue silks of Godolphin. With about a quarter-mile to go, the three runners, representing the powerhouses of Juddmonte, Coolmore and Godolphin, were lined up across the track and all three riders were trying to save their horses before asking them for their final run. Dettori got into Farhh and O'Brien shook the reins at St Nicholas Abbey and both looked like they might open up on Frankel. Queally was sitting motionless on the rail and after his two rivals turned over their final cards, he showed his. Frankel quickly opened up about five lengths in about 10 strides and any questions about getting 10 furlongs were not only answered but it raised a new question about why did we even ask in the first place? Frankel, who has won his 13 races by a combined 74 1/2 lengths, won this one by seven easy lengths. His stretch run had a cartoon-like quality to it as it looked like his two main rivals were flailing away in quicksand while he raced on concrete. It's amazing to watch Group 1 winners fall apart when they can't respond to Frankel's acceleration. After the race, and now that he showed he can switch off and go virtually any distance, the options for Frankel's next race are wide open. The consensus is that he would run, as planned, in the Group 1 Champions Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Ascot in October. The Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was mentioned but that one is unlikely. The crushing blow for American racing is the comment from Grimthorpe after the Juddmonte International. Once again, he told Racing Post, "Prince Khalid loves the Breeders' Cup and we would love to take Frankel to Santa Anita, Bobby Frankel's home town -- the emotional ties would be fantastic. "But unfortunately the right race is not there -- we are not going to race him on dirt. It's a pity, because if they had Polytrack we'd have been there." One thing that I don't think can be disputed is that Galileo is the greatest sire of all time. His record is phenomenal and Frankel is icing on the cake of the many Guineas, Derby and Oaks winners he has produced. He might be the best-bred sire in the world and the gene pool that he passes along has equal parts of speed and stamina that fit just about any mare's pedigree. ***** Sunday's Grade 1 Pacific Classic came up with a field of 10 for the $1 million purse. What makes it a fascinating handicapping exercise is the presence of three-year-old Dullahan, who goes back on Polytrack after trying dirt in his past three starts. Winner of the Grade 1 Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland back in April, he rallied for third going this distance in the Kentucky Derby a month later, which gave trainer Dale Romans enough confidence to continue on the dirt. He was dull in the Belmont Stakes on a track that was very dry and sandy, then had no shot closing on Monmouth Park's speedy main track in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational. The key to his chances on Sunday are the 10-furlong distance, which seems to be right up his alley, the return to Polytrack and the six-pound age allowance he receives. The fact that Del Mar, going two turns, seems to be kind to his running style helps as well. I've been surprised all month that Bob Baffert is going to run Game on Dude in the Pacific Classic and did not ship him to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Woodward next week. It's almost as if he knew that Richard's Kid was going to leave his barn. He's coming in off a big win the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup going this distance, but this track just doesn't set up for him unless he's allowed to steal the race on the front end. Richard's Kid can run all day and loves this track. He's been well prepared for this race by Baffert and will now run for Doug O'Neill's assistant, Leandro Mora, who is filling in for the boss while he serves a suspension. It should be an exciting stretch run with Dullahan getting up in time. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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