Frankel has been officially rated 4lb clear of the field as the best racehorse on the planet after the announcement of the World Thoroughbred Rankings.

Sir Henry Cecil's unbeaten colt, who carried all before him during the season in a five-race streak, was given a rating of 136 to equal that of Sea The Stars in 2009 as the finest since the instigation of the current system in 2004.

Frankel has been considered by Cecil and many experts as the greatest in modern times.

Meanwhile, Don’t Push It — the horse that famously provided Tony McCoy with his first Grand National success at the 15th attempt in 2010 — has been retired.

McCoy, expected to return from a rib injury by the end of the month, said: “The last thing we wanted was for something to happen to him, so the decision was pretty easy to make.

“He gave his all. He gave me the greatest day of my racing life — I always wanted to win the Grand National.

“I will always be indebted to Don't Push It.”

Don’t Push It is 12 years old and that Grand National triumph saw Ulsterman McCoy become the first jockey to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Having ridden more winners than anyone else over the festive period, the dependable Philip Enright is trusted to again deliver on Its The Ice I Like at Fairyhouse today.