ANOTHER MAGNIFICENT SEVEN FOR FRANKIE AS PIER SCORES
WHEN the eyes of an expectant sporting world are on you, there is no such thing as an easy penalty kick, be it in the Euros at Wembley or on the shortest odds-on favourite of Royal Ascot week. But Frankie Dettori and Palace Pier put their metaphorical ball into the back of a bulging Queen Anne Stakes net. So, as far as perfect starts go for organisers of this Covid restricted week it was just about the perfect result. A 74th royal meeting winner for Ascot’s favourite son — only Lester Piggott has now ridden more — and a flying dismount to rev up his army of fans. There was a moment as the slow early tempo quickened when Palace Pier momentarily came off the bridle, but it only lasted a few strides as Dettori exuded the confidence of a man driving a Ferrari being chased by a convoy of Morris Minors for the length-and-ahalf win from Lope Y Fernandez. It was a seventh Queen Anne Stakes win for Dettori in the race he opened his Royal Ascot account on with Markofdistinction in 1991.
The 50-year-old jockey said: ‘Wow, What can I say? He has shown again that he is the best miler around. You can rely on Palace Pier.’ With an eye on his stablemate — the challenge of Stradivarius for a record-equalling fourth Ascot Gold Cup tomorrow — Dettori added: ‘The pressure was on us. We can breathe again until the next big one.’ Trainer John Gosden had had 55 Royal Ascot winners but this was his first in the Queen Anne Stakes and his first since he entered into a training partnership with son Thady. The decision he has to make now is whether to step up Palace Pier, who has won eight of his nine races, to a mile and a quarter or stick to a mile. If Palace Pier does the latter and heads to the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood next month, lying in wait could be Jim Bolger’s Poetic Flare. He delivered the opening day’s most spectacular performance with a four-and-a-quarterlength win from Lucky Vega in the St James’s Palace Stakes under Kevin Manning. It was a fourth run in a Group One race in 45 days for the 7-2 favourite, who won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, was runner-up in the Irish 2,000 and sixth in the French 2,000 on ground considered too soft for him. Bolger said: ‘I have to admit I was expecting a performance like that. He had improved so much and was so well. He is an exceptional horse.’ Battaash’s attempt to win back-to-back King’s Stand Stakes failed when the Charlie Hills-trained 11-8 favourite got sucked into a pace burn-up. He hit the front going easily under Jim Crowley but the tank emptied. He ultimately finished fourth behind Oxted, a first royal meeting winner for trainer Roger Teal and jockey Cieren Fallon. A delighted Teal said: ‘I’m speechless because we’ve dreamt about these days for so long. A stable of our size doing this is amazing.’