Frankie Dettori has made a habit of taking centre stage at Ascot – and Star Catcher has put him in the limelight again with the the jockey bringing up his 250th Group One on the mare in the Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.
After the anguish of Stradivarius being beaten in the Champions Long Distance Cup, Dettori bounced back in style.
While Star Catcher is not quite in the same league as Enable, she most certainly has a special place in Dettori’s affections, with this win also being the 18th Group One strike of a record-breaking season for the evergreen 48-year-old.
“After I won the Royallieu (on Anapurna), I thought it would be great if I can get 250 on Enable in the Arc),” Dettori said.
“It’s great to get and what a great number. It must be a European record.
“I am still a bit sour about Stradivarius, but the ground is a lot worse than we thought. I am pleased this filly won. Like you said, from crying to smiling in half an hour!
“She’s lovely, she’s tough, and I think she is going to stay in training. She is a wonderful filly and provided me with my 250th Group One and 18th season. I love her.”
Supplying Dettori with a large number of those top-level victories in recent seasons has been Star Catcher’s trainer John Gosden who had nothing but praise for the rider.
“It is an extraordinary achievement,” Gosden said.
“He is riding as well as ever. He was a bit downcast after the Long Distance Cup, but he put in a great ride there as he looked like he wasn’t going to win for a bit.”
