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Bobby Frankel, America’s Top Trainer, Passes Away

By Tom Krish | 16 Nov 2009 |


Bobby Frankel

Robert Frankel, the doyen among American trainers, is dead. Frankel, 68, died early Monday in his home at Pacific Palisades, California because of complications from leukaemia. A Hall of Fame inductee in 1995, trainer Frankel won every major race in the US with one exception. He did not win the Kentucky Derby.

  I am getting my information from an article written by Jay Privman in the Daily Racing Form. Frankel has not been seen in public for six months. Realizing that his end was near, Frankel chose to go home from the hospital on Saturday.

Bobby Frankel won, at least, one Grade I race every year from 1988 until 2009. Frankel’s horses won $10 million annually eight times in his career. In 2008, his last full year, Frankel saddled 93 winners for earnings of $11.7 million and won 11 Grade events. Mast Track, a horse he owned, won the Hollywood Gold Cup.

From 17,657 starters over four decades, Frankel won 3,654 times. His horses earned $227,947,775. He is the second in the all time money list behind Wayne Lukas. He won the Eclipse Award five times. He won 30 training titles. Frankel started in New York in 1966 and moved to California two years later. Over the years, Frankel’s patrons included such names as the Firestones, the Niarchos family, Jerry Moss and Prince Khalid Abdullah.

Ghostzapper, winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Lone Star Park was a Frankel pupil. Medaglia d’Oro, Rachel Alexandra’s sire, was trained by Frankel. Champs Elysees, Garrett Gomez up, gave Frankel his last Grade I win when scoring in Woodbine’s Canadian International on October 17. In the BC Filly-Mare Sprint, Frankel’s Ventura ran second to Informed Decision.

In 2007, Robert Frankel was not at Monmouth Park when Ginger Punch won the BC Turf. He was nursing his Australian shepherd dog who was near death. Such was his love for dogs.

In 2000, Bobby Frankel reflected on his training career. “Life is funny. Sometimes things just happen and they change your life completely. I was not born into this. I just followed my instincts and ended up where I am.”

I will now mention the passing of a horse legend. Red Ransom was euthanized on Saturday because of complications arising from intestinal surgery. The 22 year-old was standing at the Vinery in Australia. By Roberto out of Arabia by Damascus, Red Ransom did stud duty in the US, in the UK and in Australia. At two, in 1989, Red Ransom won two races. He won a 1000-metre sprint at Saratoga in 56.8 seconds. He ran once as a sophomore at Gulfstream Park. Soon after, in a workout, Red Ransom fractured a sesamoid in his left front ankle. It was a career-ending injury.

Red Ransom’s daughter, Perfect Sting won the BC F-M turf. Casual Look, a filly, won the Epsom Oaks in 2003, a race I had the good fortune of seeing. Martin Dwyer rode. Elocutionist, a son of Red Ransom, won the Dubai World Cup. Red Ransom sired 98 stakes winners for earnings of $80 million.

Here is the result of a Grade I race run at Kyoto Racecourse on Sunday in Japan. Kyoto is a right-handed track. It was the 2200-metre (turf) Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup for fillies and mares. The race carried a $2,141,000 purse.

Queen Spumante, a 77-1 chance, made it all for a shocking win. Trained by Shigeyuki Kojima and ridden by Hiroyasu Tanaka, Queen Spumante, a daughter of Jungle Pocket, the 2001 Japan Cup winner, won by a length and a half in a time of 2 13.6 on firm turf. T M Precure was second and was a neck in front of Buena Vista, the 16-10 favourite. Eighteen ran.

Buena Vista, winner of the Japanese 1000 Guineas, was late on the scene. Shalanaya, who won the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp on Arc day, finished fourth. Christophe Lemaire was aboard.

It was the first Grade I win for jockey Tanaka. It was the first Grade I victory for Queen Spumante. On a sunny day, Kyoto had an attendance of 59,000.

Colonel John has been retired. The Eoin Harty trainee is by Tiznow out of Sweet Damsel by Turkoman. Colonel John will stand at Winstar Farm in Kentucky where Tiznow is. In 2008, as a three year-old, Colonel John won the Santa Anita Derby and Saratoga’s Travers Stakes. At four, this year, Colonel won the Wicker Stakes on the grass. He suffered a narrow loss in the Goodwood Stakes. In the BC Classic, his final start, Colonel John was fifth behind Zenyatta. With six wins from 15 outings, Colonel John banked $1,779,012.

Trainer Eoin Harty said, “I was around Tiznow, Colonel John’s sire. Tiznow was one of the most talented horses. Colonel John has the same qualities as his sire, namely speed, class and durability.”

Azeri, now 11, was Horse of the Year in 2002. The venerable mare was sold $2,250,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale in Lexington. Azeri, in foal to Distorted Humor, was bought by Japanese interests. By Jade Hunter out of Zodiac Miss by Ahonoora, Azeri, who I had the pleasure of seeing when she was at her peak, had an explosive stretch charge.

Joseph Talamo is 19. A leading rider in California, the articulate Talamo ride California Flag to victory in the BC Sprint. Talamo spoke with precision and conviction at the post-race press conference. He is going places.

Another 19 year-old, Philippe Louis Beuzelin rode for Sir Michael Stoute this year. He was based at Newmarket. Jockey Beuzelin is a Barbados native. Last Saturday, he was in a car accident in Barbados. He is in intensive care and reports coming from Barbados paint an encouraging picture. There is no brain damage.

Jockey Travis Dunkelberger won the third race at Charles Town in West Virginia on Sunday. That win aboard Citigambler, the 3-10 favorite, gave jockey Dunkelberger his ninth consecutive win in as many starts. In 1930, jockey Albert Adams won nine consecutive races. The feat was emulated in 1993 by Tony Black. Dunkelberger was second with Warm Springs Girl, an odds-on choice, when attempting to stretch his streak to ten.

I do not have an answer from Hong Kong yet. My trip to India is less than 30 days away. My wife and I are travelling together. I am planning to attend the Kolkata Derby in January and the Indian Derby in Mumbai in February. I will make plans for the Invitation Cup early in January.