Willing Foe takes Frankie Dettori to York Ebor win
Veteran jockey Frankie Dettori had to wait more than two decades for his maiden success in the York Ebor. The spectators saw him riding Saeed Bin Suroor’s 5-year-old charge, Willing Foe, to a close victory in the £225,000 Betfred Ebor (Heritage Handicap), held on Saturday, August 25, 2012.
The winning pair faced a tough competition in the final few furlongs. Willing Foe was not impressive in the beginning, but made smooth progress afterwards. He challenged the leader a furlong before the wire, but could not establish his dominance.
It was a nail-biting contest in the dying moments, when Royal Diamond gave him plenty of hard time. Yet, the champion runner did not lose his determination, and stayed on well to lead near the finishing line. Following a tremendous effort, the 12-1 chance seized the first place by a neck’s distance.
Royal Diamond, on the other hand, did nothing wrong, but luck was not on his side. The Thomas Carmody-trained led early on, but failed to retain his advantage all the way through.
In the hands of N. G. McCullagh, he railed quite nicely to lead inside the final furlong, but was helpless in front of Willing Foe’s late surge. He, however, ran brilliantly to secure the runner-up spot by one and a half lengths.
It was an unlucky day for Motivado, who was carrying the highest odds of 7 to 2. Sir Mark Prescott Bt’s trainee was in no position to do something special after an early mess. He did a fine job in the final stages, but remained unlucky. As a result, he missed the third position by a neck’s distance.
By registering a classy win, Willing Foe has entered consideration for the Melbourne Cup. Saeed Bin Suroor said after the race: "After he ran last time we felt he needed a mile and six. We will keep options open for the future but a mile and six plus would be best for him.”
"The Melbourne Cup is one of the options. We also have Cavalryman, Lost In The Moment and Colour Vision. As we come close to quarantine time we will decide. Usually we choose two to take there," he added.
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