Frankel Could Run in the Dante Stakes

Arguably the biggest story to come out of last year’s two year-old season was the breakout success of Henry Cecil’s Frankel (Galileo). Undefeated just ahead of his three year-old debut, Frankel put together a string of very credible victories at Ascot, Doncaster and Newmarket. The final race of the year was the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes and he came on very well in the final few furlongs to score a comfortable win.

Currently headlining the ante post market for the 2000 Guineas, Frankel is now odds-on to win that particular race. That’s quite a statement of confidence from the bookmakers as six months on the sidelines could mean that he might need the race, though O’Brien-trained colts generally aren’t troubled by lay-offs.

The Dante Stakes entry is generating a considerable amount of controversy amongst the racing public with a number of observers commenting that the Guineas – Dante – Derby races could be too close together.

At the moment, Frankel is trading as low as 4/5 for the Guineas and is a general 6/1 shot for the Epsom Derby. Some punters are confident that Frankel will skip the Dante Stakes if he pulls off an emphatic win in the Guineas, but a wobbly performance would see him line up in the Dante in order to prove that he can handle 1m2f.

Adding even more question marks for punters is the fact that Frankel has also been nominated for the Irish Derby, the French Derby and the Grand Prix De Paris – which is a clear indication that connections believe he can manage 1m4f.