Frankie Dettori stole the show on Thursday with a 449/1 four-timer at Royal Ascot, landing the feature Ascot Gold Cup with yet another memorable success aboard the brilliant Stradivarius. The Italian now leads the charge for Top Jockey at the meeting, but will one Ryan Moore have the final say?
There is no jockey who captures the public imagination quite like Frankie Dettori and when the Sir Michael Stoute trained Sangarius stretched clear of his rivals in the second race, the Hampton Court Stakes at 3.05pm, it felt like we were on the cusp of something special unfolding. Sangarius, by the way, looks a seriously good horse and he could well develop into a Champion Stakes contender for later in the season. The Ribblesdale at 3.40pm was a messy, tricky and open looking affair on paper, but there was no doubting the timing and delivery of Star Catcher by Frankie Dettori, who beat the market leader Fleeting in no uncertain terms. Earlier in the day, Stradivarius had drifted out to 2/1 in some quarters, but Star Catcher’s win – Frankie’s third on the day after landing the opener on Simon Crisford’s A’Ali – sent bookmakers into a panic and the 5yo chestnut was quickly trading at around odds-on/even money throughout the industry.
It turns out, Stradivarius was worth the fuss, as he fended off the attention of his main rivals to win his second Ascot Gold Cup in very good style. This horse is now a true champion and a legitimately great stayer. His will to win, along with a rare blend of class and stamina, sets him apart from all comers and his name will linger on for sure. Dee Ex Bee and Cross Counter – two top class horses – arrived on the scene with every chance, along with the unexposed Master Of Reality, who ran a blinder, but Stradivarius mowed them down in the final furlong and was good value for his one length success.
Frankie now only had two races left to go through the card and the bookies were running truly scared. He conjured up a fine effort from the front aboard Turgenev and he looked home for all money a furlong out, but the lightly-weighted Biometric found a strong late charge to bring Frankie’s run to a gallant end.
As things stand, Frankie is on six winners, two seconds and a third for the week, with Ryan Moore in second with three winners, five seconds and a single 3rd place to his name. But today, Ryan Moore has a serious chance to get back on terms going into the final day, with a treble of short price O’Brien runners, sure to have the bookmakers feeling nervy one again. In the 3.05pm King Edward VII Stakes, Investec Derby third JAPAN is 1/1 with Totesport to follow up his brave Epsom run with a win here. In a race lacking real depth, Japan stands out like a sore thumb. The middle leg of this Moore treble is TEN SOVEREIGNS at 5/4 with Totesport to land an ordinary enough looking renewal of the Commonwealth Cup. This super talented 3yo is dropping back to 6f now and it could well be the making of him. At 4.20pm, dual 1000 Guineas winner HERMOSA is 10/11 with Totesport to land her third Group 1 in a row and prove herself to be the Queen of the 3yo fillies.
This Ryan Moore treble pays around 15/2 and you will return just over £85 with a £10 stake at the quoted odds. Not quite the theatrics of Frankie yesterday in terms of prices, but at the business end of deciding who will be the top jockey at Royal Ascot in 2019, Ryan Moore has a very clear chance to show the World why he is indeed the best jockey around. The pair are of course good friends and us racing fans are just delighted to have them both operating in their prime. But, Moore is a man with a point to prove and he will certainly do that this afternoon if these three horses win.
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