Delight for Dettori fans as he wins Dubai World Cup for fourth time

Frankie Dettori fans were laughing all the way to the bank after the evergreen 51-year-old rider won his fourth Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse on Saturday night.  

Riding Country Grammar for American trainer Bob Baffert, Dettori timed his finishing effort to perfection to take the $12m race ahead of Hot Rod Charlie and the outsider Chuwa Wizard.

It was also a fourth Cup win for Baffert who has been battling the racing authorities in the US after a positive dope test on his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

Dettori admitted it had been “a drought” in this race since winning the event three times for Godolphin on Dubai Millennium, Moon Ballad and Electrocutionist.

“I’ve pestered him [Baffert] for the last three weeks for this ride,” said a beaming Dettori whose career has also had its ups and downs in the past 10 years.

The favourite, Life Is Good, broke swiftly from the stalls and he looked on course for victory as the field swung for home. However, as soon as jockey Irad Ortez pushed the button on the world’s highest-ranked racehorse, it was clear his mount was in trouble and Dettori pounced with Hot Rod Charlie coming home strongly on the inside rail.

Country Grammar is owned by American-Saudi businessman, Amr Zedan, who was recently named as one of the bidders for Chelsea Football Club.

Zedan was full of praise for Baffert. “He's absolutely the best, the Goat, the best trainer ever,” exclaimed the winning owner.

The thrill of horse racing was never better illustrated than in the finish to the grade 1 Dubai Turf with the judge taking a full 10 minutes before announcing a dead-heat between Dettori’s mount Lord North and the Japanese horse Panthalassa.

Three horses — Lord North, Panthalassa and another Japanese runner, Vin De Garde, hit the wire together but — after five minutes — it was determined the latter had finished third.

There was a further agonising five minute wait before the judge announced he could not separate Lord North and Panthalassa and they will share the $2.2m first prize.

Gosden, trainer of Lord North, said: “It is a very fair result. We did get ourselves in a Japanese sandwich there. These Japanese horses are so tough. They knocked us for six in Saudi Arabia and they’ve come here and won four races now.”

Meanwhile, the successful season for owner Laurence Wernars and his partners continued when Second Base notched the seventh win of his career with a game victory in Saturday’s grade 2 Colorado King Stakes at Turffontein.

It was one of three winners for Wernars at the meeting and took Second Base’s career earnings above R1m. His colours were also carried to victory in the grade  3 Protea Stakes by Karangetang.