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| Staff Writer |
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Frankie Dettori showcased exactly what makes him special when Fanny Logan emphatically won the Gr.2 Hardwicke Stakes under Dettori, who recorded his 70th Royal Ascot winner.
At three furlongs to go in the Hardwicke, things were not always very glorious.
Fanny Logan made the turn for home in last, but in what proved to be something of a slingshot maneuver from Dettori, the John Gosden-trained filly motored past all eight rivals and sustained the momentum down the outside to win well at the line.
The strong pace certainly played to the strengths of Fanny Logan, who returned a 17-2 chance and finished clear of 40-1 runner-up Alounak and third-place Defoe .
In the closing stages, 9-4 favorite Anthony Van Dyck found himself hemmed in under Ryan Moore by rivals on his outside, namely Andrea Atzeni.
"It wasn't a fluke," Gosden said. "She went up to Haydock, and I asked Rab to drop her out. She had the hood on then because she can be keen. He rode a lovely race, and she ran on to be second and had a blow, so we know the benefit of getting that race in, and she's been very bright and well in herself since.
"Frankie had the plan of making the running today, but I told him I didn't think that was a good idea. Consequently, that position was occupied by Communique , who went a good clip, but he's ridden her coolly and sat out the back, swept down the outside, and she's clearly the best on the day."
It has been another excellent week for Gosden and Dettori, and the trainer paid tribute to the 49YO rider.
"He's belying his years, and it's a pleasure to be around him," Gosden said. "His knowledge and his feel riding work in the morning, he's one of the few who is extremely accurate talking about horses in the morning, what they need, what they don't need. He's a great race-reader and a fabulous jockey, so we're lucky to have him about."
On future targets for Fanny Logan, Gosden added: "I think a mile and a half is perfect a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half. We'll see where we go. She's a Gr.2 winner now, which is fantastic for her. If there's a group 1 fillies' race, maybe the colts as well, you can look at that, but you also have races like the Lancashire Oaks (Gr.2)."