Frankel clings on in St James's Palace thriller

Report: Royal Ascot, Tuesday

St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) 1m, 3yo colts

THE brilliant Frankel stretched his unbeaten run to seven by landing the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

Sent off at 30-100, Frankel settled in fourth as his pacemaker, the Barry Hills-trained Rerouted, set a strong gallop in front.

In a move reminiscent to his stunning Juddmonte Royal Lodge victory last year, Frankel burst into a commanding lead turning for home, but the result was nowhere near as emphatic as his ten-length dismissal of Klammer.

He began to tire and looked as vulnerable as he has at any time in his wonderful career, especially when Zoffany, a Group 1 winner as a juvenile, got going for Ryan Moore.

However, Frankel hung on for a three-quarters of a length success.

His trainer Henry Cecil, racing's newest knight, said: "He settled really well - very well. The pacemaker went off quite fast and he was very settled and he [Tom Queally] had to ask him to take it up and he said when he was in front he thought he'd done enough.

"Tom said he was very settled and we can ride him properly now. Theplan was to go before the bend like the Royal Lodge. In the Royal Lodge the further he went the better he was, but he's getting older and wiser now. He thought he'd done enough and was getting a bit bored."

Cecil also revealed Frankel, who was running for the first time since his awesome Qipco 2,000 Guineas success at the end of April, could meet star milers Canford Cliffs and Goldikova in what would arguably be the race of the season.

"It's inevitable [we'll meet Goldikova and/or Canford Cliffs] unless this horse gets a mile and a quarter in the Juddmonte International," Cecil added.

"It'll be the Juddmonte International or the Sussex Stakes but it's too early to say."

Queally, the only jockey to have ridden Frankel, said: "He jumped a little bit slow and he settled better than before. He was on his own for a long way and he was getting a bit fed up in front [by the end]. He's done it so easy. He's growing up all the time. People think he just jumps and runs but he's more versatile than that."

Zoffany, who landed the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes last year, missed the 2,000 Guineas and made a pleasing return to action in a Group 3 at Leopardstown last month.

He improved on that and out ran his odds of 20-1 to claim second.

"We are delighted, absolutely," said trainer Aidan O'Brien, who was chasing a seventh win in the race.

"This is his first start over a mile and he has a lot of natural speed. We're delighted and he was a long way back and ran on really well. We'll absolutely look at something like the Sussex Stakes."

Excelebration, who produced his own superb Guineas performance in the German equivalent, was third at 10-1.

Dream Ahead, last season's joint-best two-year-old on officials ratings with Frankel, came fifth on his first start for 241 days, while Dubawi Gold, second in the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas, failed to fire and finished sixth.