Frankel, Simon Cooper
Frankel, Simon Cooper
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Frankel

Author: Simon Cooper

Narrator: Rupert Bush

Unabridged: 11 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/06/2020


Synopsis

In horse racing greatness is defined by speed. Being the second fastest counts for little. You have to win. And win. And keep winning until every challenger of your generation is put to the sword. Of the twelve horses lined up on Newmarket Heath that 2011 day, one would do just that. And more. To become the greatest racehorse that has ever lived. Frankel was born on 11 February 2008, with four white socks and a blaze, from impressive equine lines on both his parents’ sides. Simon Cooper revisits the whole of the horse’s life, giving readers an inside tour of the calm oasis that is life a stud farm, where a foal will live with his mother for the first year of his life. Next, the atmosphere of heady possibility that marks the early days of training. Roadwork. Gallops. Trials. Turning raw potential into something more. Frankel begins to set himself apart. A detailed and fast-paced narrative breathlessly recounts the racing career of the horse who, by his retirement to stud at the age of 4, would be rated the greatest of all time. Cooper weaves the horse’s tale with those of his trainer, battling cancer, the stablehands who coped with his explosive nature, the work rider who tamed him, the the jockey who rode in all fourteen of his races, and the owner who saw his potential from the very beginning. The result is a rich and multifaceted tale of modern horse racing, the lives of everyone involved, human and equine, and the unadulterated glory of winning. And winning everything.

Reviews

Goodreads review by A.M. on June 06, 2024

Simon Cooper's research is exhaustive and the story of the world's greatest racehorse is presented in an almost cinematic, easy-to-read format. That is refreshing and made the book a very quick read, as too often books can get bogged down in numbers and minutiae. Frankel's story is rendered in an ex......more

Goodreads review by Peter on September 03, 2022

A very enjoyable read. Knowing nothing about horses and racing this was a great introduction. The story unfolds at a trot and then at key points rises to a gallop taking your feelings with it. Bursts of acceleration are exhilerating as any keen car driver will tell you. That Frankel had that extra g......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on January 08, 2024

Great read, not only for the facts on Frankel but the way the author goes off on tangents to provide great detail on the inner workings of the breeding and training sides of the racing industries. As a long term racing lover I learned so much about what goes on behind the scenes before and after rac......more

Goodreads review by Philip on March 20, 2022

Sporting greats aren't always human. Frankel, during his racing career, was an athlete in the truest sense of the word. He seemed to have endless gears which he could use to power himself onwards to almost unfeasible speeds. He didn't just win: he trounced the opposition. This is a very well written......more

Goodreads review by Robert J. Snyder on July 01, 2023

well written and an inspiring read A great primer for people like me who find the history and romance of horses so engaging. I so enjoyed the writers passion for the subject and his humor......more


Quotes

Praise for Frankel ‘An imaginative retelling of the legendary story … Cooper paints a complete picture of Frankel, charting his meteoric rise from the first years of his life through to his glorious send-off when winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot … transporting the reader with his vivid descriptions … While he is undoubtedly the star of the show, this book is about so much more than just Frankel … Thanks to Cooper, and his dedication to colouring the blanks in this famous story, we can now know Frankel a little better too’ Racing Post ‘Well-researched and written with an enthusiast’s brio. Moreover, it is utterly engrossing … Frankel’s story is an extraordinary one and Cooper tells it in an easy, compelling style … [He] takes the reader on an equine pilgrimage, all the more thrilling as the object of veneration is still just 12 years old and standing at stud near Newmarket’ The Field ‘Simon Cooper does a sterling job … a wry, amiable guide, Cooper takes intriguing tangents aplenty … his real skill, though, lies in detailing Frankel's day-to-day life’ i newspaper