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| Staff Writer |
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Frankie Dettori ended his career at York on a high note, winning the Ebor aboard Willie Mullins’ horse despite some initial difficulties. The horse was reluctant to go to the start and Dettori had to lead him to the starting stalls, jogging about three furlongs while pulling the horse.
From the widest stall of all on a horse that needs cover, the pair only had Real Dream to track. However, they managed to track him all the way to the three-furlong pole and suddenly found themselves hard against the stands’ rail and in front.
Sweet William and Live Your Dream went in pursuit and from the two pole the three were in a line. Absurde regained the initiative and Dettori, with a bumper crowd roaring him home, won Europe’s richest handicap. At the line, he had half-a-length in hand of Sweet William with Live Your Dream the same distance away in third.
“Credit to him, he showed some guts, he stuck his neck out for the last bit because I thought I was beat,” he told ITV Racing.
Making A Melbourne Cup Legacy – Absurd?
Absurde has secured a guaranteed spot in the prestigious Melbourne Cup, marking the race where the highly regarded jockey from the region plans to conclude his illustrious career.
“I said to Willie 'listen I’m going Down Under for my last rides so please consider me' and he said he will but only time will tell!” the jockey beamed.
Mullins added: “I thought he was beaten half-a-furlong down, I only watched it on the big screen so didn’t see it properly, but I don’t know where Frankie got the energy to get up in the last 100 yards. He pulled it out of the fire. I thought he was brilliant on him."
The antics going to the start can form part of Absurde's make-up - although the trainer admitted it took him by surprise on Saturday.
“He’s a monkey and always is at home but hasn’t been like that for a while and the minute it happened I said ‘oh no, it’s what he does if you let him get away with it’. He'd been very good at home lately so I didn’t expect him to do it today but it is in him," he said.
Will Absurde Join Vauban On The Flight Down Under?
“I’ll have a word with the owners, they’re away with family today and couldn’t be here. But I’ll speak to them and see if they’re interested in going down to Australia and I’m sure they’d love to," Mullins added.
“I think the horse will pass the tests to be able to run in it no problem – unless they do a brain scan after his antics going to the start! He’s a good sound horse and we’d look forward to going to Melbourne.
“But today is about Frankie, a remarkable jockey and I thought he was brilliant on Absurde.”
Lady Luck certainly smiled on Beckett when Kinross came into his life.
"We'll never have another one like him," he said, his voice filled with affection. "It would be impossible. We just couldn't find another one like him if we trained for another 25 years. His constitution is excellent but he's happiest when on a racecourse. He really is. You can see it in him. He's a nightmare to saddle but that's only because he loves being at the races."
Dettori still seems to quite like it as well.
"I'll stay until Cheltenham," he shouted across to Mullins before laying some cards on the table when asked by journalists about the prospects of him continuing to ride beyond Kinross's appearance in December's Hong Kong Mile.
"I've put it out there but the phone is still silent," he said. "I keep saying to you guys, if a big enough offer comes, I might consider it. But it's got to be big! Big!"
The resounding word echoed through the air, carrying with it a sense of excitement and determination. It held the power to capture the attention of those who held great influence and possessed immense resources. Only someone with deep pockets and an irresistible offer would be worthy of hearing it. Despite the possibility of bidding farewell once again, Dettori's journey was far from over. He had unfinished business and was determined to leave his mark on the world.