horse racing tipster
RacingBetter News
Wednesday 12th May 2021
   
Dettori Continues his Form at the Top of the Sport

Frankie Dettori has now ridden over 250 Group One winners over the last three decades and still remains and the top of his game and more importantly the top of the sport. This is also why he continues to get many top rides for a host of different trainers, and this is also going to continue, due to him delivering on the biggest stage. What he and all the other connections are looking for, are the classic winners and he got another at the start of the month with his 20th British classic winner. This came in the 1000 Guineas, which at 50 years of age, is a great achievement.

Riding for Aidan O’Brien on Mother Earth, he went into the race with hope of causing an upset, but he was riding the stable second string, with Santa Barbara the heavily supported favourite in the run up to the race. However, Santa Barbara had been as short as 5/4 just a few days prior to the contest and drifted all the way out to the joint 5/2 favourite come race time. It was clear that many now felt she was worth taking on, with all the money coming for the Andrew Balding trained Alcohol Free. The pair could only muster 4th and 5th placed finishes, but it was the other O’Brien runner who landed yet another Guineas winner for connections.

Mother Earth had entered the race having won just once from her eight races to date, whilst also coming second in the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on her previous start. Then following a 177-day break, she was making her first start of the season in the 1000 Guineas, so it is little surprise that she was starting at such a big price at 10/1. She was initially held up towards the rear and was pushed along but made some solid headway towards the far side from two furlongs out. Mother Earth then led the race from just under two furlongs out and under strong pressure from Dettori was able to keep on well inside the furlong to win the race by a length from Saffron Beach and a further neck to Fev Rover, with a nose back to stablemate Santa Barbara in fourth.

It was another special victory for connections and Dettori. The latter also said after the race that this was “The 20th [British] Classic for me, 50 years old. I’m only 10 behind Lester, I’ve got plenty of time. Lester was 56 [when Piggott won his last Classic], so I’ve got six years yet. And Johnny V [Velasquez, who won Saturday’s Kentucky Derby] is 49. Come on the oldies.” It is now set to be a successful season ahead for Dettori, who is set to ride many of the leading contenders for the Gosden yard, with his runners for Royal Ascot 2021 always worth following, such as Stradivarius. The latter is set to be the big ride for Dettori, as he goes in search of a fourth Ascot Gold Cup in succession.