Dettori up and running with Kempton double

FRANKIE Dettori secured his first winners of the new Flat season when he rode a double at Kempton last night.

The popular jockey last week stated his intentions to secure 150 victories this term, and made an early inroad into that ambitious total aboard Sir Frank Wappat. Sent off the 3-1 favourite, the three-time champion travelled smoothly in third place as the partnership glided into the straight.

Mark Johnston’s colt then edged into the lead just before the one-furlong marker and had a length and a quarter in hand of Master Mylo at the line. Sir Frank Wappat was Dettori’s sixth ride of the new season as the Italian bids to take a major hand in this year’s jockeys’ championship.

Dettori made an immediate return to the winner’s enclosure when Manxman struck gold in the median auction maiden, again for Johnston. The Celtic Swing colt was harried into an early lead in the one-mile-three-furlong test, but needed to show plenty of determination to fend off Layla’s Boy before that rival weakened close home.

High On A Hill then came with a late lunge, but the 9-4 scorer had three-quarters of a length in hand at the line.

Despite having landed a quickfire double, Dettori was out of luck with his three other rides at the Sunbury venue.

Meanwhile, Michael Hourigan is confident the step up in trip will not trouble Dancing Tornado in the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Monday. The County Limerick handler has had plenty of good stayers pass through his hands down the years, notably 2004 Aintree Grand National hero Amberleigh House, who won the race for Ginger McCain.

Dancing Tornado has never won beyond two and a half miles and tackles over a mile further in the Easter feature.

But Hourigan does not see that as a problem for his recent Naas scorer. He said: “Dancing Tornado will get his ground, but I suppose the worry would be that the weights have gone up a bit. He looked to have a nice racing weight on 10st 9lb but he’ll be on nearer 11st now, which wouldn’t be ideal. He was good over hurdles the last day in Naas and we just felt he needed to be back over the smaller ones for a spin.”