Sky Bet's Michael Shinners reflects on the wonderful career of Frankel ahead of his swansong.
Sky Bet's horse racing compiler Michael Shinners reflects on the wonderful career of Frankel and looks ahead to his swansong on the track at Ascot.
Sky Sports: The only time Frankel started at odds-against was on his debut at Newmarket - did Sky Bet catch on at an early stage that this was a special horse?
Michael Shinners: The vibes prior to his debut at Newmarket on the July course were pretty strong. The suggestion before the race was that this was Sir Henry's Racing Post Trophy horse and then the Derby. Clearly the Derby wasn't on the agenda although he hasn't turned out to be too bad!!
SS: Has he been a friend or foe to Sky Bet over his career?
MS: As he has been so short in virtually all of his races, the damage has been fairly low. The worst result we had was when he won the 2000 Guineas. He was well backed in the lead up to the race and again on race day itself
SS: What has been his most costly victory for Sky Bet?
MS: As previously mentioned, the 2000 Guineas was probably the worst result. What we have tended to find is that if it's an eight-runner race, four of the runners will be losers with the each-way part in particular not great as a lot of his races have a terrible each-way look to them from a bookmakers perspective. Clearly he is in every multiple bet that we have but generally we have been able to cheer him on.
SS: He is going to be long odds-on again for his final race in the
QIPCO Champion Stakes this weekend - what sort of price could he go off and do you expect plenty of interest in him again?
MS: I would expect him to go off around 1/6. The opposition is at least different with Cirrus Des Aigles who was impressive last time and Nathaniel who missed the Arc.
SS: There is the potential for soft ground at Ascot - what will be the influence in terms of potential winning distance bets?
MS: It's hard to say as Tom Queally may hold onto Frankel for longer. That said, soft ground usually exaggerates winning distances so who knows!
SS: With Frankel such a short price for Saturday, is there any mileage in the odds of main rivals Cirrus Des Aigles or Nathaniel?
MS: I would have Cirrus Des Aigles over Nathaniel but that is reflected in the prices. Either way both are playing for second.
SS: Nathaniel has got as close as any horse to Frankel in his career - is he the one for the forecast?
MS: I think Cirrus Des Aigles came right back to form last time out and would be for me, rather than Nathaniel
SS: Hypothetically, if Frankel had been lining up in a Breeders' Cup Classic this year, what sort of price would he be?
MS: I would suggest he would still be around 1/4.
SS: On a personal note, which race did you think Frankel was the most impressive in and how big an effect has his career had on stimulating racing betting?
MS: I had the pleasure of seeing him at York in the Juddmonte International and thought he was fantastic. The questions surrounding whether he would get the trip were well and truly answered and the atmosphere was electric. The number of people who cheered Frankel in after his victory showed how much he has stirred the public's imagination and got racing onto the front page of the newspapers for the correct reasons.
SS: Leading on from that, how big is the void going to be to fill once he retires?
MS: Clearly every race that Frankel ran in this year, will be compared to next year's winner which will be a thankless task. Racing needs a Frankel every year which will never happen unfortunately. However, we need to enjoy his last race and then reflect on what an incredible horse he has been.
