LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (Group 1)

FRANKIE Dettori was back in the spotlight’s glare at Deauville last Sunday, securing a remarkable fourth Group 1 success in little more than a week in the LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest.

While the big story was the effervescent Italian, at the ripe old age of 48, moving to within five victories of setting a new personal best of 17 top-level triumphs in a single season, this served to deflect praise away from the winning steed, Advertise, and his trainer, Martyn Meade.

The three-year-old son of Showcasing has now won Group 1s in three different countries, this result following up previous conquests in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in June and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last August.

And Meade, a businessman who only initially took up training as a hobby yet has seen his yard grow at such a rate that even the beautifully refurbished Sefton Lodge Stables in Newmarket were deemed inadequate, hence his move to the lavish Manton Estate in Wiltshire at the beginning of last year, has demonstrated a sure touch with his handling of his star colt.

Despite staying well enough to finish a clear second in the Dewhurst Stakes over seven furlongs, Meade was quick to recognise that Advertise was a sprinter rather than a miler once he finished down the field in the 2000 Guineas. And his immediate acquisition of blinkers since dropping back in trip has probably contributed to his career maintaining its upward curve.

Horse to follow

Dettori’s role in Sunday’s glory was a fairly simple one. He picked the right horse to follow in Pretty Pollyanna, and the 2018 Prix Morny heroine had the speed to give Advertise the perfect lead until just a furlong and a half remained of this six-and-a-half-furlong contest.

Dettori then gave his mount a kick in the belly and, although a back-to-form Brando came through from the rear to get within half a length as the leader passed the half-furlong marker, Advertise had enough in reserve to hold on by neck.

The Charlie Appleby-trained Space Blues completed a British one-two-three in third, another three-quarters of a length adrift, but Aidan O’Brien took his number of consecutive overseas runners to taste defeat since Japan’s Grand Prix de Paris win to a very un-Ballydoyle-like 28 when So Perfect finished eighth and Le Brivido 11th.

O’Brien and the Coolmore ownership team at least had the compensation of seeing Advertise, whom Ten Sovereigns had brushed aside in the July Cup, come home in front.

Unusually, the winning trainer and rider struck something of a discordant note afterwards, Meade’s commercial nous with regard to securing the best stallion deal for Advertise meaning that he was rather more cautious about future plans than his jockey.

“He’s already won three Group 1s, which is fantastic, and it’s important to try to finish on a high so I’m going to think carefully about where he goes next,” the 71-year-old handler said.

“He might run once or twice more, and could come back to France for the Foret.”

Dettori was much more gung-ho, saying: “Advertise is at the top of his form and doesn’t know how to run a bad race. Rain wouldn’t bother him so the obvious route is to go for the Haydock Sprint Cup then Champions Day at Ascot.”

KEVIN Ryan (right), the Co Tipperary-born Yorkshire trainer, was understandably bullish after stable stalwart Brando had gone so close to repeating his 2017 Maurice de Gheest win at the age of seven.

“The press has written him off but he showed them that he’s a long way from being finished, he just has good days and bad days,” he said.

“He’ll probably go to Haydock and then Ascot and why can’t he come back here in a year’s time?

“Today’s race was stronger than when he won it two years ago.”

Ryan was enjoying a fine afternoon as 70 minutes earlier his Dream Ahead three-year-old, Glass Slippers, held off the late thrust of Bravo Sierra by a head to land the €55,000 Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud over six furlongs.

THE standard of the top German-trained horses has dipped a little since the days of Danedream and Novellist.

However, this year’s classic colts from the other side of the Rhine look an above average bunch and the Andreas Wöhler-trained Ashrun gave them a second French Group 3 triumph in recent weeks when outgunning two Godolphin-owned British-trained older horses, Walton Street and First Nation, in the €80,000 Group 3 Prix de Reux over an extended mile and a half.