by two and a quarter lengths, despite hanging to the right in the closing stages. The runner-up, Roderic O'Connor, subsequently won the Group 1 Critérium International at Saint-Cloud and then the Irish 2,000 Guineas as a three-year-old. The next day, Henry Cecil said : "Frankel unfortunately got a nasty bump leaving the stalls and that gave him a shock and the result was he ran very free ... things don't always go as one would hope and I don't think the ground helped either." 2011: three-year-old season Greenham Stakes Frankel's prep-race for the 2000 Guineas and the first start of his three-year-old career was the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on 16 April over seven furlongs. He defeated Excelebration – who went on to win the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) by seven lengths and the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp that season – by four lengths, showing his customary turn of foot around a furlong from home. Following the race, trainer Henry Cecil insisted that the colt would improve dramatically for the outing before the Newmarket Classic. 2000 Guineas Stakes On 30 April, Frankel was the shortest-priced favourite in the race since 1974 at odds of 1/2. He jumped straight to the lead, surprising many of the jockeys in the race, and had the horse in second place, Racing Post Trophy winner Casamento, off the bridle after only three furlongs. Frankel had a lead of around 15 lengths by half way and won by six lengths; the biggest winning margin since Tudor Minstrel in 1947. The performance was described as "barely believable", while Paul Curtis of the Racing Post said afterwards that "Frankel's astonishing performance puts him firmly in the superstar status". St James's Palace Stakes Although he was the long-time favourite for the 2011 Epsom Derby, stamina doubts meant that Frankel did not run in what many consider racing's Blue Riband race. Instead, his next start was in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on 14 June. In the race, the pacemaker, Rerouted, set a furious pace and opened up a sizeable lead by half-way. Frankel was then asked by jockey Tom Queally to go after the leader and passed Rerouted shortly after the three-furlong marker, going on to open up a lead of six lengths on the rest of the field with two furlongs to go. However, in the final furlong, 20-1 shot Zoffany began