11-2 JACKPOT WINNER FOR DAQMAN: Such was his Saturday staking plan, that a one-two by Verse Of Love (30-point jackpot, WON 11-2) and Strictly Silver at Chester yesterday gave Daqman a break-even afternoon, so that he remains 77 points up over three days and with two winning naps in that time.
‘TAME’ FINALE FOR FRANKEL: Daqman is disappointed that Frankel’s connections refuse to pick up the gauntlet of championship challenges in France and America, preferring a ‘tame’ finale at Newmarket.
Frankel will go down in history as the cotton-wool champion. He will make his farewell leading more lambs to the slaughter rather than as the lion of England.
Maybe, as his owner, I’d be the same, looking to his next career – at stud – and wanting him to finish his fabulous run unbeaten, for certain. Like 10-1 on certain in the Champion Stakes.
But I don’t think so. It’s a tame swan-song. Surely our sport is about racing horses to the best of their ability and a world champion is about winning a world championship.
If Frankel were held back like this in a race, the Stewards would see it as ‘not allowed to run on his merits’. Sorry, but that’s how I see this capitulation by connections.
They’re calling it brave for Cirrus Des Aigles to take him on at Newmarket but the French colt would have little chance in the Arc at six years of age, and the Champion money is massive.
If you want to know how much they have run down the St Leger, compare the Champion Stakes purse of £1,300,000, with the St Leger’s £500,000. Will they blush when they hand a Triple Crown winner, Camelot, this paltry prize?
In fact, Frankel will end his turf life not in the same league as the likes of globetrotting Ouija Board (earnings £3.510m) and Black Caviar (£3.913), who have conquered the world. He is not even champion of Europe, never mind the planet.
Frankel has been seen only on six tracks, all in England, largely asked to run straight and on flat terrain: Ascot (4), Doncaster, Goodwood (2), Newbury (2), Newmarket (3) and York.
He could have gone to Paris for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He could have gone to the Breeders Cup – the Classic at 1m 2f is made for him – so would have been a true world champion or at least king of Europe.
Instead, Frankel will be the stay-at-home who spent most of his racing life beating the same horses – Excelebration four times, Farhh twice – and piling up the marks in mostly schooling exercises, 12 times at odds on, most recently 1-10, 1-10 and 1-10 at SP. This on the back of a massive two-year-old ratings tag.
As a stay-at-home, he’s the wonder horse who hasn’t won as much per race as any one of Danedream, Snow Fairy and even Dylan Thomas: he’s the world champion without a single international scalp from racing outside England, and only three in races run within these shores: the eminently forgettable Rajsaman, Indomito and Immortal Verse.
Here’s the current earnings table of recent top players: Sea The Stars £4.417m, Snow Fairy £3.668m, Dylan Thomas £3.368m, Danedream £3.094m, Frankel £2.261m, Camelot £1.070m
I see several headlines in the genuflecting Press which say how amazing it is that we should have two great horses in the same year, Camelot and Frankel.
That’s not true on official ratings, which have given Frankel the title of legend on only one Classic win, with Triple Crown contender Camelot an inferior being, not within a stone of him.
In fact, we’ve had three great horses in four years but just look at the gulf between their overall ratings. Compare with their closing two-year-old assessment in brackets.
124 (from 119) Camelot: debut Leopardstown July 14; first big win Racing Post Trophy, October.
135 (from 112) Sea The Stars: debut July 13; first big win Beresford Stakes, September.
140 (from 126) Frankel: debut August 13; first big win Royal Lodge Stakes (September).
You will notice that Camelot is deemed to have made very little progress from two to three, and that the greatest progress of the three, a stunning 23lb, was made by Sea The Stars. You can complain that I shouldn’t compare different generations in their ratings, but you have to admit there is an intriguing twist.
Those prepared to believe that Frankel was worth the 126 as a juvenile, and is now a 140, may also have to swallow Camelot as the first Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky yet improving only 5lb from two Classic wins to get to Doncaster off 124.
They must also accept that Excelebration (125) is a better horse than Camelot, and has been so for a year since given a rating of 126 after Longchamp last September, and that Farhh is Camelot’s equal on 124.
Yes, the only other star ratings – inevitably, the way he was hiked – are reserved for horses that have been beaten by Frankel. Granted the age differences, and the slide-rule defence by purists, it still doesn’t hold water for me.
By the way, my notes in the ratings stats (above) suggest we have already seen the next star: he will have appeared mid-July and will win a two-year-old ‘classic’ in the next six weeks.
He will have to be not a meteor in our racing skies but planetary in proportion to the megastar trio of Sea The Stars, Camelot and Frankel. Mars maybe?
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 7.5pts win (nap) RAGING BEAR (2.30 Folkestone)
LAY 10pts LEITIR MOR (2.50 Dundalk)
BET 2.7pts win and place DESERT STRIKE (3.30 Folkestone)
BET 6.6pts win ALBASPINA and 1.3pts win (stakes saver) SOUND HEARTS (5.00 Folkestone)
* Daqman’s bets are staked to win 20 points (so divide 20 by his stake to arrive at the offer taken at the time of making the selection). Lays, Daq Multiples and Jackpots are to specified stakes.
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