Horse Racing: Dettori Completes Treble

Frankie Dettori riding at the height of his powers has proved nigh on unstoppable in the past but last week's thrilling Derby victory at Epsom has clearly taken his confidence to a new level and yesterday he completed a remarkable treble even by his own high standards with a third Classic victory in just eight days on West Wind in the French Oaks.

The Oaks win may have captured all the attention with Dettori, ever the showman, milking the reception for all it was worth in front of a rapturous crowd and even climbing on board an elephant as part of the victory celebrations, but it was his success in the opening race of the day at Chantilly that encapsulated so much about the mercurial Italian.

Dettori, riding Asperity for Newmarket trainer John Gosden in the Group Three Prix Paul de Moussac, dictated the running as he had done when successful at the track the previous week in the French Derby. Asperity looked beaten when headed by Thierry Gillet and Stoneside inside the final furlong, only for Dettori to galvanize his mount and lunge for the line in the dying strides.

It still looked to both racegoers at the track and punters in the betting shops back home that Dettori had failed when replays of the finish were run over and over again in the immediate aftermath of the race and there were gasps when the result was announced and Asperity had won by the narrowest of margins.

Dettori's front-running French Derby win on Lawman at Chantilly last weekend, the day after his win on Authorized at Epsom, had something of the inevitability of the day at Ascot in 1996 when Dettori famously went through the seven-race card. There is no other jockey who rides with the same belief when in form and the ride Dettori gave Asperity was of the same hue.

There have, though, been times in his 22-year career in Britain when Dettori has frankly looked as if he had rather been anywhere but plying his trade on the racecourse, when his low boredom threshold had quite clearly been reached. He had even spoken of plans for retirement once he completed his ultimate ambition of victory in the Derby.

Dettori was quick to rule that prospect out in the heady post-race excitement of Authorized's Epsom romp even before the events of the past week and he can expect to be at the center of another media circus when Royal Ascot rolls around next week with bookies Victor Chandler making him 3-1 joint-favorite to be top jockey.

He enjoyed far from an armchair ride on West Wind yesterday, though, having to switch his mount in the short straight to obtain a clear run, but once he got his filly balanced at the quarter-mile pole she produced a superb turn of foot and scooted clear for a comfortable success from long-time leader Mrs Lindsay.

Dettori, riding in the maroon and white silks of his chief patron Sheikh Mohammed, was greeted by a similarly ecstatic Alex Pantall, who was celebrating his first Group One victory as a trainer.

"It is crazy," said Dettori. "I am delighted as it is the first time I have won the Prix de Diane [French Oaks], but also I have ridden Alex's first Group One winner. It is an historic day. West Wind ran a beautiful race. The trainer was very sweet on her before the race and she quickened beautifully as soon as I asked her."

The occasion was all too much for an emotional Pantall, who burst into tears after West Wind had crossed the line victorious by 1½ lengths.

"It's been a long time coming," said Pantall. "We've been waiting for this, but all week I was really confident with the only slight worry about whether she would get a clear passage and not get blocked. Frankie is a master. This sport is so unpredictable, but I never lost faith that one day I would win a Group One." The winner earned a quote of 20-1 from Coral for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October. Authorized, for whom Dettori would more than likely be claimed following Sheikh Mohammed's purchase of the colt last week, is 7-4 favourite with last year's winner Rail Link available at 5-1.

Dettori's exploits overshadowed the triumphant return earlier to French soil of Kieren Fallon who won on his first ride back in the country after a six-month ban imposed by the French authorities on the jockey after he tested positive for cocaine following a race at yesterday's venue on July 9 last year.

Spirito del Vento, trained by Jean-Marie Beguigne's, came with a telling late run to lift the Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord for Fallon, who said: "They went quick early on and it was pretty hard to keep up with them. However, he picked up really well in the last couple of furlongs.

"I still think he would be better on softer going. This is my first ride back in France and it is really exciting to win."

Paddy Brennan's new role as stable jockey to Nigel Twiston-Davies got off to a dreadful start on his first day in the post when the jockey suffered a suspected broken collarbone at Stratford yesterday.

Things appeared to be going sweetly for Brennan aboard the Twiston-Davies-trained Prestbury Knight as the jockey approached the final flight of the Allens of Wootton Hall Handicap Hurdle with the race at his mercy.

Prestbury Knight held a four-length advantage at that point but blundered badly and unseated the unlucky Brennan, leaving Montevideo and champion jockey Tony McCoy to take advantage in the long-distance contest.

Ron Cox's tip of the day


Rasaman 3.15 Wolverhampton

Michael Jarvis boasts a profitable record with his three-year-olds at Wolverhampton and Rasaman comes here in search of a Polytack hat-trick. After losing his maiden tag over six furlongs at Lingfield in April, this gelding followed up over the same trip last month. Always traveling well before asserting that day, he looks ahead of the handicapper despite a 7lb hike in the weights.