On June 18, Animal Kingdom (Leoroidesanimaux {Brz}) will write the next chapter of his illustrious career when he lines up for the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. The plucky chestnut has come a long way since upsetting the 2011 GI Kentucky Derby as a lightly-raced and relatively unknown colt, and his story has been one of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Forced to overcome two injuries and lengthy setbacks since wearing the roses, Animal Kingdom came full circle and rewarded the belief and patience of his connections when storming to an authoritative victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 30. That victory in itself put Animal Kingdom in an elite league, making him just the second Kentucky Derby winner--in addition to Silver Charm--to complete the Derby/Dubai double. Now, the Team Valor, Arrowfield Stud and Darley-owned colt will attempt to stand on his own as the only racehorse in history to win the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup, and also take one of Royal Ascot’s (the world’s most longstanding and prestigious race meeting) coveted prizes. Next Tuesday, Animal Kingdom will become the first Kentucky Derby winner since 1935 Triple Crown winner Omaha (second in the 2 1/2 mile Gold Cup in 1936) to line up at Royal Ascot. He will be the first World Cup winner since Electrocutionist in 2006 (second in the G1 Prince of Wales’s) to compete at the Royal Meeting, and seeks to become just the second World Cup winner to win at Royal Ascot, joining the late great Dubai Millennium, who closed out his career with a victory in the Prince of Wales’s.
Animal Kingdom
What Animal Kingdom will attempt to accomplish is truly unprecedented, which makes it somewhat difficult to assess what he is up against. The early betting suggests the 5-year-old towers over this field--he was yesterday installed the 8-11 favorite--and with the withdrawal of G1 Lockinge S. scorer Farhh (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) last week, this year’s race appears to be coming up a bit weaker than previous editions. It cannot be forgotten, however, that Ascot--with its undulations and rising finish--is one of the world’s most challenging racecourses, and under these extreme conditions, the opposition cannot be underestimated.
In comparison to your classic American oval, Ascot Racecourse is about as unusual as they come. Refurbished in 1996, its main body is triangular shaped, and includes different courses for flat and national hunt racing. Flat racing is contested on the Swinley course, with the Queen Anne run over the straight course. The mile straight includes two significant dips before the uphill climb to the finish, which begins two furlongs out. Adapting to this type of course can be the most challenging task invaders face. Last year, after Australian superstar Black Caviar
The Ascot straight
scraped home in the G1 Diamond Jubilee, her connections admitted they had likely underestimated the difficulty of the course, and just days ago, South African trainer Mike de Kock withdrew his G2 Godolphin Mile winner Soft Falling Rain from consideration from the Royal Meeting, citing that the 3-year-old had failed to adapt to these conditions since arriving in England from Dubai. Therefore, a mile over the Swinley course would be more challenging than a mile over an American course, which was the key reason given by Animal Kingdom’s connections for selecting the Queen Anne as opposed to the 1 1/4 mile Prince of Wales’s for their stable star. While it is impossible to guess what will materialize on race day, the good news is that, unlike Soft Falling Rain, all reports are that Animal Kingdom has thrived in his work since arriving in England, and he pleased all onlookers with a strong gallop over the Ascot strip May 29. The climb to the finish tends to favor horses who can race handily, and Animal Kingdom has shown that ability in a number of his races, including the World Cup.
The Queen Anne has proven year in and year out to be one of the most competitive and prestigious mile turf races on the global calendar, and regularly features some of the world’s best horses. Last year, Frankel turned the race into a procession, dominating the talented Excelebration by 11 lengths in what many consider to be the undefeated champion’s greatest victory. In 2011 it was five-time Group 1 winner and
Elusive Kate
Ascot specialist Canford Cliffs who got up to defeat defending champion Goldikova. With the withdrawal of Group 1 winners Farhh and Cityscape, this year’s edition undoubtedly lacks the flair
of those recent renewals, but there could be some value to be had, and the 4-year-old filly Elusive Kate (Elusive Quality) looks an attractive proposition at 12-1. Teruya Yoshida’s filly has been the picture of consistency throughout her career, her only off the board efforts coming in her career debut (fourth in 2011 behind eventual multiple stakes winner Falls of Lora) and in the final start of her well-traveled juvenile campaign, when she finished 8th, beaten 5 ¼ lengths, behind Stephanie’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) in the GII Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Elusive Kate is a two-time Group 1 winner, both at a mile, and she has not been seen since finishing third behind Excelebration and Cityscape in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. over this track and trip last year. Next to Animal Kingdom, fitness could be her greatest opposition. Elusive Kate found herself not quite up to the task in her seasonal debut off a similar layoff last year, when she finished second to Giofra--withdrawn from consideration for this race yesterday--in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket. Her lone run over the course has it upsides, however, and she could represent value in a race where the favorite will simply be too short to bet. Yoshida’s Racing Manager Patrick Barbe yesterday expressed confidence in the filly and noted that she is 80% likely to run, with Yoshida traveling from Japan for the race. Gregorian (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), around 20-1, put in a very strong race over this course in last year’s G1 St. James’s Palace, and the 4-year-old appears to be coming into his best form now. He comes into this off a victory in the G3 Diomed S. at Epsom Downs May 31, and could pick up a piece of the pie.
While Animal Kingdom towers over this field on ratings, the Queen Anne will be an entirely new experience for him, and the breadth of the challenge is not to be taken lightly. Regardless of the outcome, it is a great story for racing, and, win or lose for Animal Kingdom, viewers tuning in from around the world will be treated to history in the making.
Royal Ascot is over for another year. And what a renewal it was. Although I have only been following racing outside America for a few years, this was easily one of the most anticipated and exciting few days I have experienced in the sport. The spotlight was on undefeated high weights Frankel and Black Caviar in their respective races.
Frankel opened the show with a flourish, winning the Queen Anne Stakes by an authoritative 11 lengths in what may have been his greatest performance in an already illustrious career. I am sure this was the greatest racing performance I have ever seen, in terms of sheer dominance, and obviously others agreed: he was assigned a Timeform rating of 147, making him the highest rated horse in history on that scale. Now trailing in his wake are all-time greats Sea Bird (145) and Tudor Minstrel and Brigadier Gerard (144).
Frankel and Tom Queally crush the Queen Anne
Here is an article that describes how Frankel’s all-time high Timeform rating was achieved:
Here is a list of the all-time highest rated horses by Timeform:
http://www.timeform.com/show_article.asp?num=122
In the end, though, the week was all about Black Caviar. It was an incredible build up to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on the final day of the meeting, and her fans were prepared, turning out in their Black Caviar paraphernalia every day of the lead up. And just like the preceding days, the aftermath has been all about the great mare as well.
The build up to the race was all about comparing Frankel and Black Caviar, something I grew tired of pretty quickly as you could tell by my last blog. Europeans were quick to throw their support behind Frankel, boasting about why he is better, and Aussie’s the same with Black Caviar in their camp. The aftermath, however, has seen a refreshing sense of appreciation for both animals. It seems as though racing fans everywhere were humbled by Black Caviar’s near defeat, realizing how difficult the task dealt to her actually was when she seemed invincible. For reasons that we’ll never be entirely sure of, Black Caviar ran 15 rating points short of her best performance in winning the Diamond Jubilee by a nose, recording a rating of 115, her lowest number in almost two years. Perhaps it was the testing track, the muscle tears she sustained in running, or the fatigue of international travel (the relatively slow time and weak field would also have hurt the rating). It was probably a bit of everything.
Black Caviar and Luke Nolen win the Diamond Jubilee
The most important measure of Black Caviar’s greatness in this instance was laid out by Timeform analyst Simon Rowlands. Rowlands pointed out in an article on Betfair.com that of the 392 horses that ran over the five-day Royal Ascot meeting, 46% (including Black Caviar) ran 13lbs or greater below their pre-race figures. Black Caviar was the only one good enough to still win, and a Group 1 at that, also overcoming a questionable ride. To me, that is simply remarkable. Rowlands’ article can be read here:
I think racing fans and commentators everywhere were united in the shock dealt by Caviar’s near blow, and the result has been an outpour of appreciation for the great mare (even from the British). Gone from the media are comparisons of Black Caviar and Frankel and arguments over who is better. It is clear now that the two cannot be compared, as there is no way to stage a fair contest between them. Black Caviar will now return to Australia likely to stay, and Frankel will remain in Britain.
I must say that amongst the media crush and pressure last week, Frankel’s trainer Sir Henry Cecil was the ultimate gentleman and professional. While he could easily have boasted about Frankel’s superiority after the colt’s Queen Anne romp, the master trainer remained humble, refusing to compare his colt to any other horse or to discredit Caviar at all.
Getting back to this week’s post-race coverage, there has been some excellent commentary and analysis. I think it is a really positive sign for the industry that so many reporters are engaging in thoughtful analysis, as it is a common criticism (by me included!) that the industry is too archaic and poor at keeping records. It is this type of figurative analysis that will give mainstream fans a historical context and benchmark by which to understand the sport, and encourage their interest in racing. Here is another good article in addition to the two listed above:
A shout out must also go to the ever charismatic Australian fans. In addition to the estimated 3000 that turned up at Royal Ascot with their Black Caviar ties, hats, and flags, millions more watched from their homeland and elsewhere. Fans packed Melbourne’s Federation Square at a chilly 12:45 am (remember it’s winter there) to cheer home their heroine on the big screen, and they didn’t disappoint. Check out this video:
Black Caviar fans pack Melbourne's Federation Square
to watch the Diamond Jubilee
I spent four months of last year in Australia, and I found that Australians are some of the most incredible and enjoyable people to be around: they simply love gambling and sport, and will easily latch onto anything that resembles either and provides a thrill. They are the key reason why Australian racing is thriving: it seems that almost everyone in the country either owns a “leg” of a horse, bets regularly, or at least likes to dress up and go to the races, and they embrace a culture that is lost amongst the mainstream public in many other countries, especially America. Racing is regularly front page news in Australia. If we could bottle up some Aussie enthusiasm and spread it around America and Europe, racing would be thriving once again.
Here is proof of this observation: I watched the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on TV in the corner of a pub in Galway, Ireland. About a half hour before the big race, a family came in and sat at the table beside me. Seeing I was engrossed in the racing, they asked when Black Caviar was running. They said they were from Australia, and knew nothing about racing, but they heard Black Caviar was running so wanted to watch the race. I proceeded to share with them everything I could about Black Caviar, racing, and my time working for Peter Moody, and they were thrilled. In the end I hope I contributed to them becoming lifelong racing fans, but hey, they’re Australian, they were destined anyway.
So here’s to Black Caviar and Frankel, two undefeated champions from Australia and Europe, and two of the greatest horses ever. We are so fortunate to have been fans of racing in their time, and hopefully we will get the chance to see each of them a few more times before they embark on their careers in the breeding shed in their respective hemispheres.
If, like myself, you would like a bit of the hair of the dog to overcome your Royal Ascot hangover, here are some pictures from my two days there last week (Tuesday and Wednesday).
--Kelsey Riley is a second year trainee on the Darley Flying Start programme. She will join the TDN staff in July.
Frankel and Tom Queally after winning the Queen Anne
So You Think in the parade ring before the Prince of Wales's
The Ascot parade ring/grandstand
Frankel
William Buick returns on Joviality after winning the Windsor
Forest Stakes
Next week will mark the 301st renewal of Britain’s historic Royal Ascot meeting. The flagship races of the five day meeting will be Tuesday’s Queen Anne Stakes and Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes, where Frankel and Black Caviar, the world’s two highest-rated horses, have their respective engagements. Frankel will attempt to take his record to 11 unbeaten in the one mile Queen Anne, while Australia’s Black Caviar goes for a perfect 22 in the newly named six furlong Diamond Jubilee. Frankel is currently the world’s highest rated horse based on the World Thoroughbred Rankings at 138, and Black Caviar sits below him at 130, and she is the world’s highest rated sprinter.
The European press is abuzz this week with speculation and debate over who is better. Because the two are unlikely ever to meet on the racetrack – Black Caviar may contest Newmarket’s July Cup before returning to Australia, and Frankel will remain on his home turf – the great debate will most certainly always be just speculation. The respective connections of Frankel and Black Caviar have been widely criticized for not arranging a meeting for their charges; However, I am relieved that the two are unlikely to meet.
For the simplest of reasons, Frankel and Black Caviar are just too different to allow a fair contest to be conjured. Frankel is a specialist miler with the potential to stretch out to nine or ten furlongs, and he trains over the softer surfaces and undulating gallops of rural Britain. Black Caviar is a sprint specialist trained over the faster and flatter surfaces of Metropolitan Melbourne. Although trainer Peter Moody has repeatedly stated that he believes his great mare could excel over longer distances (a mile or more), Black Caviar has carved a niche in sprints. If she were to compromise and meet Frankel over a greater distance and be beaten, there would always be a fair excuse. The same goes the other way around: surely it wouldn’t be a great stretch of the imagination to drop Frankel back a furlong to meet Black Caviar at seven, but it would be taking him out of his element. In addition, master trainer Sir Henry Cecil has put loads of work into teaching Frankel to relax and rate, and he seems to have finally gotten into the big horse’s head. A rubber match with the best sprinter in the world would surely undo all the work that Cecil has put into preparing Frankel to step up to 10 furlongs for the Juddmonte International this summer.
Black Caviar warms up for last November's Patinack Classic at Flemington in front of her adoring Aussie fans
Being from opposite points of the world, one horse would have to travel a substantial distance to meet the other. As we have seen in America over the past few years, it is difficult to get two greats to meet even when they’re from the same country and excel over similar distances (Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra, Curlin vs. Big Brown). There is always the excuse of the taxing flight and the adjustment to a new environment. Earlier this year, Qipco, which sponsors the British Champions Series, offered a £1 million bonus for Frankel and Black Caviar to both line up for the August 1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood over a mile (a race Frankel won last year). While it can be reasonably argued that Black Caviar could have stayed in England and had sufficient time to adjust for the Sussex, why should she have to be the one to travel and forego much richer purses in Australia? There has yet to be any significant pressure for Frankel to travel to Australia. The other side would argue that the great mare should be the one to travel because British racing has been historically perceived as the best in the world. But with rapid changes in racing internationally in recent years, especially in Australia, I don’t think that’s a fair perception, especially for a sprinter.
If the two did meet, I feel it would be difficult to not be disappointed after the race, because one of them would have to lose. I have gotten so much enjoyment out of watching these two brilliant, beautiful horses over the last two years and, after next Tuesday, I will have seen both of them race in person. The fact is they are incomparable, so why compare? Why can’t we have two of the best in the world?
-- Kelsey Riley is a second year trainee on the Darley Flying Start programme. She will join the TDN staff in July.
On June 18, Animal Kingdom (Leoroidesanimaux {Brz}) will write the next chapter of his illustrious career when he lines up for the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. The plucky chestnut has come a long way since upsetting the 2011 GI Kentucky Derby as a lightly-raced and relatively unknown colt, and his story has been one of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Forced to overcome two injuries and lengthy setbacks since wearing the roses, Animal Kingdom came full circle and rewarded the belief and patience of his connections when storming to an authoritative victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 30.
