3 minute read
Frankie Dettori kicked off British Champions Day in the perfect way when the Italian lifted Trawlerman home to land the Long Distance Cup at Ascot.
The pace was a rock-solid one throughout, with rank outsider Maxident taking no prisoners as young apprentice Owen Lewis took the field along at a frantic gallop.
Frankie Dettori was by no means going to let the runaway leader out of his sights though and tracked the pace in second, well clear of the chasing pack.
Maxident soon backed out of contention as the field of eight swung for home and the challengers quickly emerged as Trawlerman picked up the running entering the straight. In all truth though, he looked something of a sitting duck and Kyprios soon loomed upside before striking the front with four furlongs to travel.
Aidan O'Brien's staying star quickly took a handful of lengths out of his rivals and almost looked home and hosed with a couple of furlongs to run. However, he clearly hadn't read the script, and the gap began to close as Frankie galvanised Trawlerman to get within a length.
It was race on. Two world-class jockeys going at it up the Ascot straight. Ryan Moore asked for everything on the 11/10 market leader Kyprios and whilst he battled all the way to the line, it soon became apparent that Trawlermen was beginning to get the upper hand. The John and Thady Gosden-trained runner nosed to the front under an all-action Dettori and the 9/1 chance eventually prevailed by a neck. Stablemate Sweet William finished back in third.
Dettori told ITV Racing: "Once he got back the crowd went crazy, I could hear them. Wow, what a race!
"He was doing a bit too much, when Ryan came to me, I thought I was a spent force. It was very gutsy, I'm only as good as the horse.
"Amazing on my final day, beating one of the best jockeys in the world. I have great respect for him. Amazing, now I can do the dismount!"
Winning co-trainer John Gosden added: "The plan was to go forward, and then we heard that that other horse was going to go very hard, and so the idea was to take a lead from him, use him as a target, but the genius of Mr Dettori was not to throw everything at it at the head of the straight but to come there, Kyprios swept past, and to collect again and come back on the line. I'd say that was a superb judgement on his part, and the other horse ran a blinder in third.
"Like all of us, he [Dettori] doesn't always get it perfect, but he's a wonderful judge of pace and has great feel for the horse - as has Ryan Moore on the second. Let me tell you, two amazing jockeys and we are lucky to have them riding together.
"I knew the horse wasn't finished - I never thought he'd come back up and win, I thought he'd get up on his neck or something. I didn't think he'd get back and win. It quite lifted the crowd. Imagine if he wins the next - it'll take the roof off the place. Kinross likes this ground - he could be on for a double. We'll never hear the end of it, will we?!"
