David Jennings teases us into thinking it could be another great day for Dettori
As Royal Ascot evaporates into a foam of echoes and eerie silences, reliving a rambunctious afternoon not so long ago might just be the aphrodisiac we need to get us in the mood for Gold Cup day.
You will remember it well: a breathless couple of hours when the incomprehensible started to look increasing likely on Thursday, June 20, 2019. It was this very occasion last year; the day the bookmaking industry was on its knees, begging for Frankie Dettori to loosen his grip on their throats.
It began at 2.30pm with another Norfolk Stakes win for Dettori. Nothing too unusual about that. He had won it three times before and A’Ali had gone into plenty of notebooks after his Ripon debut. He was only 5-1.
At 3.05pm a delicious Dettori ride on Sangarius delivered a second success of the day in the Hampton Court Stakes; simplicity at its most simple. The Ribblesdale was at 3.40pm and Star Catcher was not for catching, helped in no small part by Fleeting performing her party piece of running down countless cul-de-sacs. The Frankie foghorn was beginning to sound deafening.
Race number four was the big one, the Gold Cup. Stradivarius was fully expected to keep his crown, but he had a swarm of Ballydoyle stayers surrounding him once the stalls opened. Donnacha O’Brien did everything in his power to keep him locked up on Capri, but Frankie found the keys and burst out just in the nick of time to beat Dee Ex Bee by a length.
With a Frankie clean sweep of the six-race card moving closer, the layers were now frantically seeking some solace from Betfair. Turgenev, who began the day at 20-1, went off the 7-2 favourite for the Brittania when the stalls opened at 5.03pm. After coming out of stall 22, Dettori angled towards the nearside rail shortly after halfway. He pinched a three-length lead by the two-furlong pole and was trading at 1.36 on Betfair.
A rescue remedy for the bookmaking industry was concocted with some unusual ingredients – Harry Bentley, Ralph Beckett and Biometric.
As eyes widened and the sweat level turned from light to profuse for layers up and down the land, Bentley emerged from the pack to spoil all the fun on the 28-1 shot. Biometric has not won since. Indeed he has finished eighth, fifth and tenth on his three subsequent starts.
It was almost as if he was a gift sent from the gambling gods for one day only to keep the show on the road.
The atmosphere at Ascot that day was something special. It hummed from start to finish, a continuous tune that sounded sweeter and sweeter with every race that passed.
Oh, to be back on the steps of the grandstand again, feeling like we were ordering a pint of Guinness in a Temple Bar pub of a Saturday night with not enough space to swing a cockroach, never mind a cat. We were jammed together, but joyously so. Pure bliss.
That same grandstand will be almost empty this time, and you might think Gold Cup day 2019 bears absolutely no resemblance to Gold Cup day 2020, but there are more similarities than you might think.
Stradivarius, as you well know, is back for more and he is an even shorter price to win his third Gold Cup, while Dettori has another brilliant book of rides. All of them are a single-figure price with Ladbrokes and this time there are seven of them, not six, so is it folly to think his Magnificent Seven of 1996 could be re-enacted?
Probably, but what is the harm in having such ridiculous thoughts? These are the most ridiculous of times after all.
It would be ridiculous if Stradivarius was beaten, that’s for sure.
The two Gold Cups already in his trophy cabinet at Clarehaven were much harder won than this one will be. Not a single stayer from Ballydoyle has made the journey over, with a late setback to Kew Gardens depriving us of a sumptuous Stradivarius rematch.
That means Stradivarius is by far the best horse in the Gold Cup, 4lb better than Cross Counter, who he has already beaten twice, and 6lb superior to the next best horse in the race according to the official handicapper. He adores Ascot, always turns up on the big days and knows how to get down and dirty should it turn into a scrap. What is not to like?
Hypothetical was too keen at Kempton and could be the real deal in the opening Golden Gates Handicap (1.15). Dettori has picked Crossed Baton over Dubai Warrior in the Wolferton (1.50), which speaks volumes.
King Leonidas heads to the Jersey (2.25) unbeaten and could be anything, while Mark Johnston has booked Frankie for Golden Flame in the Chesham (3.00). The spark between those two is infectious.
Verboten is the type of lightly raced handicapper from the Gosden stable that petrifies bookmakers, so who can blame them for not taking any chances on him in the Britannia (4.10)?
The final piece of the jigsaw would appear the trickiest to slot into place. Dubai Love has top weight in the Sandringham (4.40) as Dettori is reunited with Saeed bin Suroor. Just like the good old days.
Yes, Frankie has seven magnificent rides. Remind you of anything?
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fonte : RacingPost
