Robert J. Frankel

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Robert "Bobby" J. Frankel (born July 9, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American thoroughbred race horse trainer. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1995.

Early in his career, in 1960’s New York, Frankel assisted the prominent (though controversial and eventually infamous) trainer, Buddy Jacobson. On his own, Frankel saddled his first winner late in 1966 [1] before struggling somewhat in 1967, when he won with just 9 of 101 starters.^[1] He was rolling, however during 1968, winning 36 of 165 outings as his horses accumulated 167 grand in purse money..^[2] In the next few years he continued to prosper in New York and during the winter of 1970-1971, he had some success at the classy West Coast meeting at Santa Anita.

After moving permanently to California in 1972, Bobby Frankel became the talk of the horse betting world, winning a record 60 races at Hollywood Park. Many of those victories came with runners whom his owners had acquired via the claim-box for $5,000 to $10,000. These horses typically showed dramatic improvement under his care, often winning their very next start against higher priced claiming company.

Frankel is an avid follower of the training techniques of the late and great Charlie Whittingham, trainer of champions such as Ferdinand and Sunday Silence. Frankel has won several Eclipse Awards, the year-end horse racing awards, for best trainer. He has set earnings records, Grade I Stakes victories records, and many others. Frankel has also won the Pacific Classic Stakes a record 6 times(4 straight). Some of his best horses include Squirtle Squirt, his first Breeders' Cup winner; Skimming 2-Time Winner of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic; Sightseek, winner of the Humana Distaff (gr. I) and Ogden Phipps Handicap (gr. I); triple grade I winner; Empire Maker, victor of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I); multiple Grade I winning Peace Rules; two-time Santa Anita H. (gr. I) winner Milwaukee Brew; and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I) winner Starine, whom he also owned; and Ghostzapper, the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner who was voted the 2004 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.

On June 26, 2005, the horse Wild Desert, owned by several businesspeople including former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, gave Frankel his first victory in the $1 million Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine Racetrack.

His daughter Bethenny Frankel, is currently starring in The Real Housewives of New York City, a reality television program on the Bravo network.