Frankie Dettori’s stunning Group One summer has extended to a seventh top-flight success of the season on Too Darn Hot at Deauville on Sunday.
Last year's European champion juvenile bounced back to winning form in style in the seven-furlong Prix Jean Prat, justifying odds-on favouritism from the runner-up Space Blues.
It continued Dettori’s stunning big race run which on Saturday was embellished by dual-Arc heroine Enable who made a winning first start of the season in the Eclipse at Sandown.
She is now odds-on to repeat her 2017 victory in the King George later this month and a 15/8 favourite to record an unprecedented third success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
Plans for Too Darn Hot, beaten in his first three starts of 2019, include the Sussex Stakes back at a mile and his veteran jockey was satisfied for the colt to be back in winning form.
“Hopefully this race will give him confidence and there’s more to come. He’s very fast. It’s well documented nothing has gone right for him,” said the 48-year-old Italian. “He’s won a Group One as a three-year-old so I’m delighted.”
Dettori’s Group One haul so far this summer have come on seven different horses with Anapurna in the Epsom Oaks, Stradivarius’s Gold Cup, Crystal Ocean (Prince Of Wales) Advertise (Commonwealth Cup) and Coronet in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud also figuring.
Meanwhile, Monday evening’s Roscommon feature is the Listed Lenebane Stakes where Dermot Weld’s team will hope a first time hood can allow Masaff confirm apparent ratings superiority.
The Aga Khan-owned runner's official 105 mark gives him a clear edge over his four rivals and new headgear is added presumably in the hope that he will not spoil his chance by racing too keenly. The season's leading rider, Colin Keane, is on Massif Central in the feature.
Jerandme is already a course bumper and maiden hurdle winner. But it is his second to Royal Illusion at Leopardstown last month that looks to give him a leading chance in the concluding maiden.
Heliac has been given a mark of 81 on the back of her Cork maiden win in May and that looks exploitable in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap while last Wednesday’s Bellewstown winner Highly Approved may be able to follow up in the fillies’ handicap.
