Frankel has been handed an official rating of 124, one pound higher than his previous mark in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, following his convincing victory in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
Matthew Tester, BHA Senior Handicapper and responsible for assessing two-year-olds, explained:
“I appreciate that Frankel looks to have the makings of a superstar and the way he quickened past his field was impressive. It is reasonable to believe that he would have won by further but for getting tired after racing keenly in the early stages. There is every hope that he will prove to be an exceptional horse.
“However, with Dream Ahead and Saamidd clearly not running to their best, the form of the placed horses makes it impossible to give Frankel an exceptional rating yet.
“The runner-up, Roderic O’Connor, was the winner of one of his two races – a maiden at the Curragh – for which he was provisionally assessed at less than 100 in Ireland. The third horse, Glor Na Mara, is still a maiden after six starts. He had a rating in Ireland of 112 before the race and had recently been disappointing. The fourth horse, Waiter’s Dream, was rated 109 for finishing third behind Saamidd last time.
“Having talked it over with the Irish Senior Handicapper, Garry O’Gorman, we have agreed to raise the ratings of all the placed horses. Roderic O’Connor will be rated 118. Glor Na Mara will be raised to 113, as will Waiter’s Dream.
“Frankel’s rating goes up too, from 123 before the race to 124 and it may go higher still. On the solid form of beating Roderic O’Connor by two and a quarter lengths and Glor Na Mara by five, this is the appropriate rating for the achievement rather than for the expectation of better yet to come.
“However, there is the possibility that the figures for Frankel’s win in the Royal Lodge Stakes may be raised if the placed horses perform well in the coming weeks.
“For comparison, this century only New Approach (126) has been rated higher for winning the Dewhurst Stakes. He won the 2007 renewal. The placed horses that day were the previously unbeaten Group-race winner Fast Company, Raven’s Pass who had won the Solario Stakes by seven lengths and Rio De La Plata who had already won Group 1 and Group 2 races. There were three other Group 1 or Group 2 winners further back in that field.
“We did not get the “two-year-old race of the century” but we did get an exciting winner. For Saamidd it appears that the ground was a major factor in his disappointing run. The double that Dream Ahead was attempting, of winning the Middle Park and then the Dewhurst, has not been achieved since 1982 and I think we saw on Saturday why that is such a tough task. There will be other great days for both of them.”
