Frankie Dettori, currently riding at the top of his form in big races, has been snapped up to partner French long-hot Hesiode in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Lucien Barriere.
The Italian won the Arc in 1995 on the brilliant Derby winner Lammtarra, but his prospects of upsetting the odds-on favourite Montjeu are not rated highly by the bookmakers who quote Hesiode as big as 80-1.
Dettori is fresh from a successful weekend at Ascot where he won the Group 1 Meon Valley Stud FilliesMile on Crystal Music, as well as the Diadem Stakes on Sampower Star and the Royal Lodge Stakes on Atlantis Prince.
He followed up at Newmarket with victory on a spare ride, the filly Regal Rose in the Shadwell Stud Cheveley Park Stakes, widelyconsidered a sound guide to next year’s 1,000 Guineas.
With the going at Longchamp unlikely to be as soft as it was 12 months ago, there will be high hopes in the Aga Khan’s camp that his dual Derby winner Sinndar will have conditions sufficiently in his favour to shoot down Montjeu.
