Frankie Dettori celebrated winning the 20th Classic of his career with victory on Mother Earth in the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas – then joked he has “plenty of time” to beat the legendary Lester Piggott's record of 30.
It was a fourth victory in the race for the 50 year old Italian jockey and a seventh for trainer Aidan O'Brien.
Taking the lead just inside the final quarter mile, Zoffany filly Mother Earth, a 10-1 chance, kept on finding more and at the finish had a length to spare over the staying on Saffron Beach (9-1). A futher neck back in third was 22-1 chance Fev Rover.
Speaking after the race Dettori said: “I was super excited to win that! I didn't have the pressure to ride the favorite and had a very willing partner on a filly who I knew would give me everything.
“Aidan gave me a lot of confidence this morning and said to forget about (favored) Santa Barbara and just ride my own race. He told me to get cover and I did and like I said I forgot about the favorite and just kicked at the top of the hill.
“I knew she'd stay really well and I won – it's as simple as that! It's my 20th Classic (in Britain) at 50 years old. I'm only 10 behind Lester now so I've got plenty of time!
“It's great to do it at Newmarket. I'm extremely happy and I got lucky to get that ride. Lester was 56 so I've got six years left and Kevin (Manning, 54, winner of Saturday's 2,000 Guineas with Poetic Flare) won yesterday – come on the oldies!”
Before the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, many had expected an O'Brien victory in the race to come via his 5-2 joint favorite Santa Barbara, who finished fourth under Ryan Moore.
But O'Brien said of Mother Earth: “She's a very good filly and always was. It was unfair to the favorite (Santa Barbara) to come but we had to come with the view to coming back over here for the Oaks.
“Santa Barbara is only a baby and Ryan said that he'd liked to have waited longer but he saw Frankie coming down his outside and he had to come then and she was just green in the dip, but after having one easy run it was a great run.
“Mother Earth is a very consistent filly – she had a great run in America last time out last year and that was very professional. She relaxed and quickened and did everything really well, so we're delighted. I think Mother Earth will stick to a mile and we'll step Santa Barbara up in trip – the latter was always going to go to the Oaks next time and this filly was always going to go to the Irish Guineas next. That was the plan.
“We won't go again with Santa Barbara (before the Cazoo Oaks). We felt that she would learn as much coming here as she would for three runs, but it was a risk doing it that she was going to get beaten.
“She'll be fine, she's classy and she would have learnt a lot today and she has plenty time to get over that. Ryan was very happy and he said to me that in an ideal world he didn't want to commit as early.
“But with Frankie coming he had to keep going then and she was a little bit unbalanced going into the dip, which is understandable as we've never taken her off the bridle at home. Hopefully she'll come out of it ok and it will do her good.
“I didn't ask Frankie anything afterwards – I just listened. I'm sure you could hear it all as well! It's great to have him and he's an unbelievable rider.”
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