RACING:IN 1970, on the morning of that year's 2,000 Guineas, the now defunct Sporting Life led with the headline: "What will be second to Nijinsky?" Forty-one years later and the atmosphere surrounding the first classic of the season is similarly presumptive about Frankel.
Thirteen line up for today’s colts classic, including Roderic O’Connor, Aidan O’Brien’s sole hope of a sixth Guineas victory, and Pathfork, who could provide Jessica Harrington with a fairytale first classic.
Both Irish trainers are also represented in tomorrow’s 1,000 Guineas, but even all the classic firepower on view over the Rowley Mile this weekend can’t prevent Frankel from taking centre stage.
Henry Cecil’s unbeaten star is set to start the shortest priced favourite for decades, with even established authorities like Timeform already describing him as potentially one of the great horses seen in Europe.
Nijinsky managed to live up to the hype, but the dangers of investing too much in the still-developing frame of an equine adolescent was made clear last year when St Nicholas Abbey failed to live up to his billing.
Frankel looks a different proposition, though, with his possible Achilles’ heel – a tendency to run too freely in the early stages – not likely to affect him much over a mile. His Co Waterford-born jockey, Tom Queally, said yesterday: “There’s a lot of talent in the race and he will be racing on ground faster than he’s ever run on before, but there are also plenty of positives, not the least that he’s won on the course and will have the benefit of a pacemaker.”
Fran Berry teams up with Pathfork again and faces his old rival Casamento, who he beat in last year’s National Stakes, once again. Along with Roderic O’Connor he is a proven Group One winner and in a normal year would be widely fancied to score for his popular trainer.
“He has had a great preparation and we can do no more now. He’s fit and healthy, and if he’s good enough, he’s good enough,” Harrington said. “It would be unbelievable to win a classic – it’s what dreams are made of.”
Ryan Moore teams up with Roderic O’Connor for the first time while his old jockey, Johnny Murtagh, is on board the unbeaten Fury as he pursues a third Guineas success.
Makfi’s 33 to 1 success last year emphasised the dangers of presuming too much about the classic generation so early in the season, and only five of today’s field have had a run this season. Crucially though, Frankel is one of them, and Cecil is confidently predicting significant improvement from impressive Greenham victory at Newbury.
Eddie Lynam gives his 100 to 1 Nunthorpe winner Sole Power another crack at the Group Three Palace House Stakes with Wayne Lordan again on board. Sole Power was fourth to Equiano in the sprint last year.
Aidan O’Brien famously completed a Guineas double with Footstepsinthesand and Virginia Waters in 2005 and will be triply represented in tomorrow’s classic, with his son Joseph having a first ride in a British classic aboard Empowering.
Pat Smullen teams up with the Prix Marcel Boussac winner Misty For Me, while Colm O’Donoghue is on Together in a field of 19 that also includes the French favourite Moonlight Cloud.
Laughing Lashes presents Harrington with another classic shot, and she already boasts a defeat of Misty For Me.
“I would ideally like a bit of rain on Saturday night, but as long as it is safe for her it will be alright,” she said. “She is a very big filly and hasn’t run since the end of August, but I’m very happy with her.”
Richard Hughes is also pursuing a first British classic, and reports about his mount Memory have been encouraging enough to raise the Irish jockey’s hopes.
