Frankel stays undefeated with six-length romp in 2000 Guineas

The brilliance, and long-term promise, of Frankel was fully displayed at Newmarket on Saturday when the undefeated colt easily won the English 2000 Guineas, his sixth career win.

Ridden by Tom Queally for trainer Henry Cecil, Frankel took the lead shortly after the start of the one-mile race and opened a sizeable advantage midway through the race. The lead diminished in the final furlong, through an uphill finish, but Frankel still won by a comfortable six lengths.

Frankel seemed to be in his own race throughout the first classic of the British season.

Dubawi Gold, a 33-1 outsider, finished second in the field of 13, a half-length in front of Native Khan, the winner of the Group 3 Craven Stakes in April. There was an 11-length gap between Native Khan and fourth-place finisher Slim Shadey.

Frankel was sent off at odds of 1-2 with bookmakers, making him the shortest priced winner of the Guineas since Nijinsky (4-7) in 1970.

Named for the late American Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel and owned by Juddmonte Farms, Frankel gave Cecil his first 2000 Guineas winner since Wollow in 1976.

After the race, Cecil told the press, “Everything went very much according to plan. He’d settled well in front at home and did so again today, but just got too settled. He was sleepy and waiting for them toward the finish but he was in front a long time and you can forgive him that.”

Frankel, a British-bred colt by Galileo, has won four consecutive group stakes, including the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last October, a victory that led to him being named the joint champion 2-year-old colt of 2010.

The 2000 Guineas was Frankel’s second start of the year, preceded by a victory in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury, England, last month.

Favored Planteur takes Prix Ganay

Planteur won the first Group 1 race of his career in Saturday’s Prix Ganay at Longchamp, winning by a length as the even-money favorite over Sarafina, the 2010 French Oaks winner.

Cirrus des Aigles was third in the field of seven, followed by Cape Blanco, who was beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Cape Blanco finished fourth in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in March.

Cape Blanco had the early lead in the race over about 1 5/16 miles on turf, holding an advantage over the outsider Pouvoir Absolu, a pacesetter for Planteur. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Planteur was fifth early, and rallied between horses in the final furlong to take the lead before the wire.

Owned by the Wildenstein family and trained by Elie Lellouche, Planteur’s win was his first since the Group 2 Prix Noailles in April 2010.