Racing is a sport which is driven by the remotest possibility of success and the six jockeys that line up against Tom Queally and Frankel in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury Racecourse must be more acutely aware of this than ever.
The world's highest-rated thoroughbred makes his seasonal bow in the Group 1 mile contest, and the five furlong straight at the track is perfectly suited to the long-striding colt.
Frankel has already proved the flat, galloping course is to his liking and has victories over today's rivals Strong Suit, Excelebration, Bullet Train and Dubawi Gold en route to racking up nine consecutive victories.
On paper, Frankel, a year older, and according to his trainer Sir Henry Cecil, a year wiser, looks to have faultless claims. And yet Adam Kirby, who has partnered Excelebration twice in defeat behind Prince Khalid Abdullah's colt, believes that the unbeaten son of Galileo could well suffer defeat.
Excelebration was four lengths behind Frankel when the pair met at Newbury last year in the Greenham Stakes, also Frankel's seasonal debut.
For Kirby, who rides Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa's horses in England, it was an opportunity lost as for a whole furlong he matched strides with the horse that subsequently has become a worldwide sensation.
"He ran a big race up against Frankel. At one stage I really thought I would pick him up and get to him, but unfortunately he found a little bit more," Kirby told The National.
Kirby believed his mount might have the measure of Frankel when they next met in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Although it is generally accepted that Queally lost his nerve and went for home too early, Kirby says there were mitigating circumstances to Excelebration's two-length defeat.
"We were closing in on Frankel but it was a messy race," he said. "My horse shied away from a camera at the start and then I got a nasty bump from Richard Hughes aboard Dubawi Gold on the outside that allowed Frankel to get a run on. I was forced off the bridle to keep my position. I think we could have given him a run for his money that day if everything had gone smoothly."
Kirby was not on board when Frankel once again put his enduring rival in his place when sauntering away with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October.
Jamie Spencer watched Frankel accelerate four-lengths clear as he renewed his association with the Coolmore breeding organisation, which had bought the son of the Australian sprinter Exceed And Excel.
Excelebration comes into today's contest trained to the minute after a fluid victory under Joseph O'Brien in a substandard Group 3 in Ireland last month.
After Frankel's well-documented injury scare in the build-up Kirby believes the champion is there for the taking.
"I think Excelebration absolutely has got a chance," he said. "He was always going to strengthen up from three to four; he's that kind of horse. It's just a matter of whether Frankel is as good as he was."
In the rush to get Frankel back from injury, Cecil has used Newmarket Racecourse for two gallops in an effort to fine tune his stable star.
And yet, there is the merest hint that Frankel is not quite there after the trainer insisted this week that his work partner and pacemaker today, Bullet Train, had gone too slowly to really extend him.
It may be only a minor weakness, but it gives hope to Kirby and everyone else that Frankel just might get beaten today. It is what the sport is all about.
sports@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
