By Tom Frary
Narrowly denied in the Queen Anne, Frankie Dettori was quick to gain compensation getting off the mark at Royal Ascot 2020 on Anthony Oppenheimer's Frankly Darling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G2 Ribblesdale S. Free early despite being provided with an ideal lead from Golden Lips (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), the 11-8 favourite who scored at Newcastle on the opening day of the season June 1 nevertheless had abundant fuel when committed at the two-furlong pole. Chased up the straight by Ennistymon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the homebred had already sealed the outcome and was eased late to record an impressive 1 3/4-length success from that rival, with another Ballydoyle runner Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 2 1/2 lengths away in third.
“She ran with the choke out a bit and I was pleased that Josephine [Gordon] was there to make a good pace,” commented Dettori after his flying dismount from his 68th Royal and eighth Ribblesdale winner. “I got her to relax on the turn for home and she had every chance to get tired, but found another gear and it was a very good performance. We were burning plenty of petrol in the first half of the race and she has got some lungs, let me tell you. She showed she stays well and that was a good experience for her today.”
For John Gosden, it was a landmark 50th Royal winner and a third renewal from the last four. “She's done it well. Luckily, she got in to her race at Newcastle on the first day which meant that we could come here and she will have learnt a bit about racing there. She is still raw and green, but powered away and we'll see how she is in the next 10 days before we make our mind up about the [July 4 G1 Epsom] Oaks. It is some achievement for Mr. Oppenheimer to win two of these and he's a sportsman, so if we're happy with her I think he'd like to go to Epsom.”
Frankly Darling, who will be making history if successful at Epsom as the first to win this and then the Oaks in that order, had been runner-up to TDN Rising Star Cabaletta (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) on her sole start over a mile at Yarmouth in October before her five-length success over 10 furlongs on Newcastle's Tapeta as the British racing scene swung back into play. She very much fits the profile of Gosden's previous Oaks winners and this performance echoed that of Star Catcher (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) at last year's meeting prior to her Irish Oaks triumph.
“She was a big, rangy girl and a bit unfurnished who needed time to develop,” Gosden continued. “We got a run in and she ran well, and of course she would have gone to the April meeting at Newbury and run in a mile-and-a-quarter fillies' maiden there and then gone to an Oaks trial, then maybe gone to the Oaks but obviously that all changed. She was a little wild–there's a bit of Frankel about her–but she showed an awful lot of class today. If I have an Oaks filly, it's her.”
James Doyle said of the runner-up, “Ennistymon has run well. It was hard to come from where we did and the pace was quick. It was hard to make ground, but it was a good effort.”
Frankly Darling is a daughter of Hidden Hope (GB) (Daylami {Ire}), who was successful in the Listed Cheshire Oaks before finishing runner-up in the G2 Lancashire Oaks and G2 Prix de Pomone. Her previous black-type performer Our Obsession (Ire) (Shamardal) captured the Listed Galtres S. before producing last year's G3 Musidora S. runner-up Frankellina (GB) to a mating with Frankel, while her 4-year-old colt First In Line (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) was third in the recent Listed Buckhounds S. Hidden Hope's half-sister Rebecca Sharp (GB) (Machiavellian) took the G1 Coronation S., while another half-sibling is the G3 Lingfield Derby Trial scorer Mystic Knight (GB) (Caerleon).
Hidden Hope is out of Nuryana (GB) (Nureyev), whose unraced daughter Fleche D'Or (GB) (Dubai Destination) achieved notoriety when producing the G1 Epsom Derby, G1 Eclipse S., G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and G1 Irish Champion S. hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), as well as the listed-winning and multiple graded-stakes-placed Eastern Belle (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}). This is also the family of Frankel's best performer to date in Cracksman (GB), who went so close to providing this owner-breeder with a Derby in 2017.
Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
RIBBLESDALE S.-G2, £110,000, Ascot, 6-16, 3yo, f, 11f 211yT, 2:33.29, g/s.
1–FRANKLY DARLING (GB), 126, f, 3, by Frankel%20(GB)#tot">Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Hidden Hope (GB) (SW & MGSP-Eng, GSP-Fr, $142,832), by Daylami (Ire)
2nd Dam: Nuryana (GB), by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Loralane (GB), by Habitat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £65,120. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $88,118. *1/2 to Our Obsession (Ire) (Shamardal), SW-Eng; and First In Line (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), SP-Eng, $110,871. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ennistymon (Ire), 126, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Lahinch (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). O/B-Mrs Evie Stockwell (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £24,629.
3–Passion (Ire), 126, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Dialafara (Fr), by Anabaa. (800,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £12,309.
Margins: 1 3/4, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.38, 11.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: Bharani Star (Ger), Golden Lips (Ire), Miss Yoda (Ger), Anastarsia (Ire), So I Told You (Ire), Trefoil (GB), West End Girl (GB), Hold Fast (Ire). Scratched: Born With Pride (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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