Olympic Glory wins Lockinge at Newbury for Frankie Dettori milestone

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/17/olympic-glory-lockinge-newbury-frankie-dettori

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Frankie Dettori reached a career milestone here when landing the Lockinge Stakes aboard Olympic Glory, which he believes to be his 200th Group One success and unprecedented for a jockey based in Europe. He was authentically delighted but celebrated rather in the style of an ageing sportsman, eschewing his famous flying dismount in favour of a tender-looking slither down the colt's side.

Those who had raced from the grandstand to see his return to the winner's enclosure made their disappointment plain with a pantomime groan. The Italian said he was also "gutted" not to be fulfilling his usual crowd-pleasing duties but, having banged a foot in the stalls at Warwick recently, was partially in self-preservation mode.

Two hundred, in this case, is not just a number. This was Dettori's first British Group One since the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2012, near the end of his days at Godolphin.

Since then, he has lost one of the best jobs in world racing, endured the humiliation of a worldwide drugs ban and returned last summer to find that good rides were hard to come by. He ended 2013 with a total of 16 winners in Britain and a broken bone in his foot that caused him to miss the winning ride in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

But crucially he had formed the alliance with the Qatari Sheikh Joaan that yielded this Lockinge success. At the moment, that owner can provide him with quality rather than quantity but more horses are being acquired all the time and Dettori is gradually building up his list of supporters once more. He may feel his 43 years after the race but he still looks very effective on the track.

Asked if it still meant as much to be winning big races, he replied: "It probably means more now. It's a new challenge, a new job. I must say, I didn't sleep the best last night, I was nervous. But it's natural.

"It looked to be complicated on paper but, in the end, it was straightforward." Both his parents were here to witness a moment of history that was clearly anticipated; Olympic Glory started a strong favourite at odds of 11-8.

The winning trainer, five years younger than his jockey, was Richard Hannon, who has made a superlative start to his first season since taking over from his father, having already won the 2,000 Guineas. But until this prize was in the bag, he said, "I don't think I've enjoyed a day's racing less. I was feeling a bit of pressure."

Hannon is not opposed to a clash between Olympic Glory and the other top-class miler in his yard, Toronado (also owned by Sheikh Joaan), though he hinted that it would probably not happen at Royal Ascot next month.

"You can't keep them apart for ever," he said. "They're two good horses. I see the lads in the yard arguing about who's best, so we may as well send them to the track and find out once and for all. We could do it at home but there's no prize money in it."

Ultimately, the owner will decide whether the pair ever meet and the trainer did not appear deeply invested in making it happen. "It's an interesting conversation but I won't lose much sleep over it because I couldn't care."

The Scoop6 bet rolled over for the 11th time on Saturday despite an extra £6.5m being staked. Punters can have another go next Saturday.