Free Wind storms home to give Frankie Dettori dazzling Deauville double

Frankie Dettori's day at Deauville did not begin and end with Palace Pier, for he had rides before and after the main event and completed a double with arguably the most impressive winner on the card.

Free Wind's prospects in the Group 3 Prix Minerve had not been favourably advertised by Golden Pass in the Geoffrey Freer 24 hours earlier, Golden Pass having beaten the filly at Newmarket last month, only to trail in last of eight behind Hukum at Newbury.

However, Free Wind, having just the fifth race of her career here, is clearly improving with experience as she toyed with her rivals, winning by a length and a half from favourite Burgarita, who had previously been beaten only three-quarters of a length behind Joan Of Arc when third in the Prix de Diane.

Free Wind, owned by George Strawbridge and trained by John and Thady Gosden, was cut to a general 16-1 (from 33) for the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.

Thady Gosden said: "She tries her heart out every time and has progressed well through the year. She was a close second in a Listed race at Newmarket last time and has improved again.

"Frankie gave her a brilliant ride, as with Palace Pier, and is on flying form, which always helps.

"She stays a mile and a half well, and we wouldn't be afraid of stepping her up to a mile and six later on. We'll talk to Mr Strawbridge and see what he wants to do."

Who Knows just prevails

In the Group 3 Prix Francois Boutin, Oneforthegutter did best of the two British raiders in second and may well have collared winner Who Knows had he not been inclined to carry his head rather awkwardly to the left before getting his act together for William Buick in the final half-furlong.

Stephane Wattel, trainer of Who Knows, who clung on by a head under Theo Bachelot, said: “He’s maturing and he relaxed well in front. That looks as far as he wants to go and what he really wants is a race with a good rhythm.

“It’s a great pleasure to win for his owners and his breeder, but mostly it’s wonderful to win a race named for Francois Boutin. People of my generation remember him well.”

Snug success for Wally

Wally defied a penalty and giving weight to all his rivals in the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron under a well-timed ride from Cristian Demuro, the four-year-old getting up by a short head from Monty.

Winning trainer Jean-Claude Rouget said: “Cristian always has a great deal of faith in him but this horse is very difficult to figure out. He ran like he did last time and frankly he never wins by very far. He’s a very unusual horse. The runner-up was getting weight from us and is a very hard horse to beat.”

He added: “I don’t want to go to the well too often because he’s already had a long season, having started at Cagnes-sur-Mer. He’ll run in the Prix Dollar and that might well be it. He’s had a great season and we’ll have him again next year for the top races.”

Team Gregolimo celebrate his smooth victory in the Listed Prix NureyevCredit: Kitty Trice

Change of plan for Gregolimo?

The consistent Gregolimo made his first start since May a winning one in the Listed Prix Nureyev under a confident Ioritz Mendizabal.

Gregolimo’s Pau-based trainer Simone Brogi had good reason to be chuffed with the colt and said: “He has shown consistently that he is a good horse on any type of going. The leader took him a long way into the race and that has helped him win quite easily. In the Hocquart the pace collapsed in front and he was left on his own too soon.

“The plan before today was to aim at the Prix du Prince d’Orange but we’ll all have a chat and there is a chance he will go straight to the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend. If we go for the Prince d’Orange in three weeks’ time he will stay up here in Deauville.”

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