Melbourne: English trainer Jamie Osborne is hoping Frankie Dettori won't celebrate his Breeders' Cup successes too heartily as the jockey makes the long haul to ride in today's Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
Dettori rode two winners at the Churchill Downs meeting in Kentucky on Saturday, and though Osborne hopes the Italian-born jockey's successful run continues he also expects Dettori to make the tight 54kg riding weight aboard his mount Geordieland.
"He has assured me not to worry, he'll be right," Osborne said. "All I know is that when Frankie is on song he is undoubtedly one of the best riders in the world."
Victory in the 3200 metre slog at Flemington is one of the few major successes absent from Dettori's resume, and after riding Ouija Board and Red Rocks to success in the US, the popular English-based rider is in prime form.
Irish jockey Kieren Fallon said Dettori may struggle.
"You put on weight on a long flight and it takes a while to get rid of it," he said.
Extras
Durcan partners Cherry Mix to victory
* With stable jockey Frankie Dettori en route to Melbourne after riding a Breeders' Cup double at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Ted Durcan partnered Godolphin's Cherry Mix to victory in the Group 1 Premio Roma at Capannelle yesterday.
* Having already secured Group 1 victories in Italy last year and Germany in August, the five-year-old again showed his liking for foreign soil by cruising to a four-length success from the Clive Brittain-trained Hattan, with Luca Cumani's Vol De Nuit further back in fifth.
* Breeders' Cup Turf winner Red Rocks is to stay in training with a second tilt at horse racing's world championships high on the agenda.
* Brian Meehan's four-year-old provided the second leg of Frankie Dettori's double and is now set to be aimed at the 2007 Dubai Sheema Classic as well as other top races at trips between 1m2f and 1m4f.
Agencies
