Irish Sunday Mirror

I’LL CRACK IT AGAIN! FRANKIE DETTORI

-

believe me, it does!” Dettori, 46, had to wait until his 15th ride in the Derby before he finally savoured success aboard Authorized in 2007.

Turbulence intervened – a split from long-time boss and mentor Sheikh Mohammed and a six-month drugs ban, both late in 2012 – in the eight years before Golden Horn gave the Italian his second triumph in the world’s premier Classic.

“In my 30-year career, winning the Derby on Golden Horn was the biggest emotion I have ever felt,” he added. “It will be difficult to top it.” In six days, Dettori takes the mount on Cracksman, a colt by the mighty Frankel and, like Golden Horn, representi­ng trainer John Gosden and owner Anthony Oppenheime­r.

But Golden Horn travelled to Epsom on the back of an overwhelmi­ng win in York’s Dante Stakes, in recent years a reliable foundation to Derby greatness.

Cracksman, though close to favouritis­m in Ladbrokes’ ante-post book – he is 4-1 second choice behind 7-2 jolly Cliffs Of Moher – was an absentee from York on account of unsuitably soft ground.

His late scratching means Cracksman’s learning curve doesn’t reach as high as his illustriou­s stablemate. He has just a Newmarket maiden score last October and a photo-finish decision over Dante victor Permian in Epsom’s 10-furlong Derby Trial in April as grounding for the most searching test of his flowering career.

“Everybody looks to compare Golden Horn and Cracksman, but they’re very different,” insisted Dettori.

“Golden Horn was favourite because of what he’d already done. Cracksman’s odds are all about his potential.

“He’s run only twice and his inexperien­ce showed during the Epsom Trial, but he was still good enough to get rolling late and win.”

7-2 Cliffs Of Moher 4-1 Cracksman 13-2 Eminent 10-1 Best Solution, 12-1 Yucatan, Venice Beach 14-1 Permian, Dubai Thunder

bar

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Ireland