Frankel one-two in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes

Four-year-old Frankel colt El Cordobes became Frankel's 38th Group/Grade 1 winner , securing the Gr.1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday (9th August). A fellow son of Frankel, the John Gunther-bred Rebel Red, was half a length back in second place.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 10th August 2025, by Alan Carasso:

El Cordobes, the lesser-preferred, less-accomplished and less-exposed part of an uncoupled entry for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, took his cue from Flavien Prat in upper stretch, split rivals on two occasions inside the final furlong and a half and dove across the line first to take out Saturday's Gr.1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga. With the victory, El Cordobes earns an automatic berth into the field for the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar later this fall.

Exiting a victory in the Gr.2 Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket on 10th July, El Cordobes was a 4-1 shot in this first try at top-level competition and was able to secure an ideal early spot from the box seat in third, as Vote No made the running in advance of El Cordobes's stablemate Nations Pride. The front-runner had company soon enough in the form of favoured defending champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge, who was set alight by Joel Rosario after sitting three wide in the breeze early on and could have rolled to the front, but was content to stalk Vote No from second. Glued to the fence for the run past the stands for the first time, El Cordobes continued to ride the rails in the slipstream of Far Bridge through the middle furlongs, as Vote No ensured a decent - if not breakneck - pace. El Cordobes traveled strongly into the final half-mile, but was taken a hold of by Prat on the turn and was shuffled back to near-enough last just as the real running was about to begin.

In the meantime, William Buick had gone for Nations Pride with a good three furlongs to travel, and it looked to have worked, as the six-year-old pinched a good break heading for home. Taking a gap between Rebel Red (Frankel) and a weakening Far Bridge in upper stretch, El Cordobes knifed through another between Nations Pride and Rebel Red with the race in the balance and was home narrowly best.

"The way he ran there, you'd almost say he'll keep on improving," said Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. "Flavien [Prat] said he hit the line really well. He's the kind of horse we knew he'd hit the line hard, and it was just a matter of him getting out in the clear and Flavien was able to do that."

A maiden winner over the Kempton all-weather in the first of just two appearances at three, El Cordobes placed twice in Meydan handicaps over the past winter before annexing a similar event over 12 furlongs on the 2000 Guineas undercard at Newmarket. Third in Newbury's Gr.3 Aston Park Stakes on a two-week back-up, he filled the same spot behind next-out Group 2 winner Al Qareem in York handicap company going a mile and six furlongs in June and was celebrating his first success at Group level in the Princess of Wales's last time.