THE Group 2 Hungerford Stakes is the feature race at Newbury today and it features an interesting clash of the generations.

A curious stat was unearthed by Lewis Tomlinson on twitter during the week. Who is the highest-rated flat horse in Britain, but who has never won a group race of any description?

Enter Hungerford favourite Dream Of Dreams. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt has missed out by a head in the last two renewals of the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes but two listed wins in November 2017 and at Windsor in May last year are the highest level at which he has won. His current rating is 117.

Godolphin’s Glorious Journey landed this prize last season and though he was disappointing in the Lennox Stakes in Goodwood, a better run would be no surprise.

He had the three-year-old Pierre Lapin behind him that day, and this colt, who won the Mill Reef Stakes over this track last year when he impressed many judges, now has a fair bit to prove after two disappointing runs.

The biggest threat to the favourite may come from…Threat. The Cheveley Park Stud-owned colt drops down in class after contesting two Group 1s in the St James’s Palace and July Cup.

He was a dual group winner last year in the Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes and it would be no surprise if he improved to take a hand here. The German challenger Namos also was down the field behind Oxted in Newmarket but lost a shoe.

FRANKIE Dettori described himself as “gutted” to be missing next week’s Ebor Festival at York after choosing instead to ride in France this weekend.

Dettori was booked by trainer John Gosden to partner French Derby hero Mishriff in today’s Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville, and the unbeaten St James’s Palace Stakes winner Palace Pier in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois tomorrow.

However, a Government announcement late on Thursday evening revealed France was to join the UK’s quarantine list from 4am on Saturday, following a spike in coronavirus cases, meaning anyone travelling back across the Channel after that time will need to quarantine for 14 days.

Dettori told the PA news agency on Friday: “Obviously I only found out at 10pm last night. This morning I spoke at length with John, and I decided to go to France.

“With Enable and Stradivarius not running at York, it made my decision a lot easier. Obviously Lord North (engaged in the Juddmonte International) is a good horse, and I’ll be missing him, but the prize money in France is unbelievable.

In Dettori’s absence, Gosden hopes James Doyle will maintain his partnership with Lord North in the Juddmonte International at York, having steered him to victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. “I’m hoping James Doyle will be available,” Gosden added.

The British Horseracing Authority said that riders would have to self-isolate for 14 days on their return from France or use the elite athlete exemption rule – which requires two coronavirus tests seven days apart.

A spokesperson said: “The UK Government has confirmed that from 4am on Saturday August 15, France will be removed from its list of travel corridor counties. This means that anyone returning to the UK from France after this point will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in the UK.

Billy Lee has also decided to sacrifice two weeks of racing in Ireland in order to keep his partnership with Romanised intact for tomorrow’s Jacques Le Marois. The pair are defending their title in the mile Group 1 tomorrow and trainer Ken Condon said this week: “Billy is obviously keen to maintain the partnership so even allowing for the quarantine restrictions that are prevalent in Ireland he’s happy to take the two weeks after it.

“Billy rode the horse work this morning. He worked nicely and smoothly and we’re good to go.”