Four hours to Frankel!

Frankel demolishes his rivals – including his main opponent this afternoon, Excelebration – in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day. Today he contests his first race since that amazing October day. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

A record Newbury Flat crowd is on the cards this afternoon, with big queues of traffic outside the Berkshire track as the clock counts down to Frankel’s first appearance of the year in the JLT Lockinge Stakes at 3.40pm.

The world’s best racehorse is seeking to make it ten wins out of ten in the one mile contest, but could face a tough examination from the race fit Excelebration, the world’s second highest-rated miler.

One opponent he won’t have to face, however, is the smart Strong Suit, withdrawn this morning due the ground which remains on the slow side of Good.

"Go Frankel" signs are being handed out to racegoers and the sense of anticipation is building quickly.

Frankel, trained by Sir Henry Cecil and ridden by Tom Queally, is the red-hot favourite, with a best price of 30-100 currently available. Excelebration is on offer at 3-1 and it is 50-1 or bigger the rest.

The brilliant Frankel won four QIPCO British Champions Series races last year – the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, QIPCO Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day.

Today’s JLT Lockinge Stakes could be the first of five Series that he may contest this year, with a step up from a mile to a mile and a quarter likely to take place sometime after Royal Ascot next month, where the one mile Queen Anne Stakes is his likely next target.