Freaky Frankie Is Fabulous! | Sporting Post
Trainer John Gosden said afterwards that Frankie Dettori channeled the spirit of the Golden Horn to win the Sky Bet Ebor with a 9/1 chance in York on Saturday aboard the Trawlerman, who is a “snarky wild man” with a penchant for ” Break up’ is the starting box’.
Trawlerman landed the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap in an exciting finish thanks to another master class from Frankie Dettori.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the four-year-old had a horror draw in stable 20, but the Italian had the confidence to stay wide all by himself until they turned into the straight.
Evoking memories of Trawlerman’s father, Golden Horn, staying wide on the landing of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Dettori kept things simple and while being passed by Earl Of Tyrone and then Alfred Boucher, his horse collected on the last 200 yards.
Wednesday’s winner, Alfred Boucher, charged gallantly into goal and had his head two paces off the post, but Trawlerman (9-1) kept scoring with a short header.
Watch the replay here:
Earl Of Tyrone was third a length down while John Leeper was fourth.
Dettori said: “My colleagues gave me a bit of rope. I managed to get him to relax and on the straight I thought I was beaten but the gray came and helped me somehow.
“I thought I’m just running off the runway and I might not get there, but in fairness he dug deep into the line, bowed his head and I was like, ‘Ah! Close!’.
“In the past I was very close to Lady Aurelia (at the Nunthorpe) so I kept my mouth shut and waited for the judge!”
John Gosden paid tribute to Dettori, with whom he had a public falling out earlier in the season that resulted in the driver being handed a week off.
“I think when we were walking the course in front of the Arc with Golden Horn, we saw how far his move was and Frankie said, ‘I’ll just stay out there.’
“We did it here with Muntahaa and Jim Crowley who thought I was crazy. I said it’s a Baldrick plan that can work.”
He added: “You have to have a very good owner who understands when it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t come off, it doesn’t come off. There’s only one risk – if they go outside, they’ll know where the stalls are.”
On the public argument with Dettori, which was quickly addressed, Gosden added, “I couldn’t get his attention – I couldn’t get him to focus, that’s all. In the end we gave him a bit of a public warning – that’s the way it is. He was left on the bench like he was by a football manager.
“He just had two fantastic races today and when our man is in the zone he’s absolutely top notch. If he’s not in the zone, he’s a threat!”