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.

Simon Cooper is the Wainwright Prize-winning author of The Otter's Tale and Life of a Chalkstream. He is also one of the UK's leading chalkstream conservationists. In a former life, Simon worked in the horse-racing industry, so has unprecedented access to the stud farms, stables and racetracks that are integral to Frankel's story.