A RIDE of daring, a horse of great gusto, an unforgettable renewal of the Gold Cup. Frankie Dettori and Papineau were irrepressible at Royal Ascot yesterday as they dispatched a vintage field to the sharp sword of defeat.
A rapier thrust of acceleration proved too potent for Westerner, the best stayer in France, after the latter had toyed with Mr Dinos, who was bidding to win the race for a second successive year, on entering the home straight. On a day when the big battalions dominated, pride of place belonged to Godolphin.
The scene had been set when Dettori jumped skywards after winning the Ribblesdale Stakes, the second race of the day, aboard Godolphin’s Punctilious. Yet Papineau’s victory superseded all that went before.
It was stunning in its execution, Dettori sitting patiently on a horse inclined to run freely before making all the right decisions. In truth, the Italian was at his best all day.
As Kieren Fallon sent Mr Dinos up to take issue with the front-running Ingrandire six furlongs out, Westerner advanced to cover the threat. But Dettori, even farther back, read the move in an instant, moving Papineau through to perch on Westerner’s tail.
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Gérald Mossé, who had flown from Hong Kong to partner Westerner, must have thought he was still jet-propelled as the French five-year-old eased up to Mr Dinos with two furlongs left. No sooner had he taken his measure, however, then Dettori pounced.
This was a moving Gold Cup renewal to rank alongside some of the finest of recent decades. Sheikh Mohammed, proprietor of Godolphin, has been involved in many of them, from Sadeem to Classic Cliche and Kayf Tara’s brace in 1998 and 2000. When asked if Papineau was the new Kayf Tara, the sheikh responded: “Maybe better.”
He would not countenance doubts over Papineau lasting home in what was sure to be a test of attrition. “We could have taken the easy route,” he said, “but instead we took the chance. The horse has class and speed, and that is often enough.” Those qualities are expected to be put to the test in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes back here next month.
Westerner is another with a middle-distance agenda. Once again, the earplugs he wears during his races were pulled out by Mossé as Papineau challenged, incurring the jockey a £1,000 fine. The Jockey Club is adamant that such antics contravene the Rules of Racing but Mark Johnston, who trains Darasim, the third horse home, was furious that Westerner was not disqualified.
Papineau’s victory came 40 minutes after Dettori had ridden another masterful race aboard Punctilious. The daughter of Danehill does not take kindly to instruction, so Dettori coaxed her along in Sahool’s slipstream before striking halfway down the home straight. “I wanted her to do it the way she wanted,” Dettori said. “If I’d forced her, she wouldn’t have liked it.”
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Papineau stretched Dettori’s winning Royal Ascot tally to four, a lead of one over Fallon, who must have been hopeful of equalising the score when setting out aboard Mr Dinos, the 5-4 favourite. And Fallon must have been silently cursing when Sir Michael Stoute saddled the first two home in the King George V Stakes without his help.
Admiral was ridden by apprentice Nicky Mackay, for whom this was a dream winning debut at the royal meeting. Fallon could not make the weight on Admiral; nor could he ride the runner-up, Maraahel, whose owner, Hamdan Al-Maktoum, insists on deploying Richard Hills. But the champion struck back when bringing Mandobi through to collect the concluding Britannia Stakes.
Jeremy Noseda unleashed a precocious juvenile in Blue Dakota, who inched out Mystical Land in the Norfolk Stakes. “Some of my two-year-olds have been coughing,” Noseda said, “so that was a big relief.” For all that, Noseda’s relief paled by comparison to that evident in the features of Aidan O’Brien after Moscow Ballet returned to form in the Hampton Court Stakes.
O’Brien has endured a miserable time of late, not least the sight of David Wachman landing the Queen Mary Stakes for Ballydoyle’s proprietor, John Magnier, on Wednesday. “This will help me hang in there for another month or two before David gets my job,” he joked. If his horses have not have retained their form, at least O’Brien has retained his sense of humour.