Frankel is star of the show at inaugural British Champions Day
Frankel crowned himself king of the inaugural QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday (15 October) winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by four lengths.
Sir Henry Cecil’s superstar colt, owned by Khaild Abdullah, was sent off 4-11 favourite and beat Excelebration, ridden by Jamie Spencer, in front of a crowd of 26,700 at Ascot racecourse.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Sir Henry. “He’s a very good horse and was very relaxed. He did everything we asked of him.”
Frankel has now won four Group Ones – having already won the 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes this year. And Sir Henry confirmed he will be campaigning next year over a mile and a quarter as a four-year-old.
With total prize money of £3m Saturday was the richest raceday in British history. British Champions Series chief executive Rod Street told H&H it was a “resounding success”.
“For the racegoer it was an ‘I was there’ day. We could not have wished for better,” he said.
For more see the next issue of H&H – out on Thursday (20 October)
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.