Dettori Swoops On Alkaased

Frankie Dettori won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud for the first time yesterday as Alkaased roared home for Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani.

It was a first Group One victory for the five-year-old, who had finished runner-up in the Coronation Cup at Epsom on his last start.

Dettori had his mount settled on the heels of the leaders turning for home and the 6-1 chance quickened readily when asked, sprinting past pacemaker Imago Mundi before holding off Policy Maker by two lengths.

The disappointing Bago made up ground late on to take third, another two lengths in arrears.

Yeats, who beat Alkaased at Epsom, was being nudged along a fair way out and dropped out of contention when the taps were turned on in the 12-furlong contest.

Dettori was ecstatic at landing the race at last - one of the few European Group Ones to have eluded him in his stellar career.

'It´s been a long time coming, but I´m a patient man,' he said.

'The horse travelled extremely well and the race went smoothly for us, getting a good lead from Imago Mundi and Yeats. He is a very good horse and at last has got the reward his talent deserves.'

Fellow-Italian Cumani echoed Dettori´s comments, adding: 'He was very impressive. He was going so smoothly on the turn into the straight that I didn´t think anything was going to beat him.'

(C) PA Sport