Eternally wins for evergreen Frankie Dettori

News from Saturday afternoon's meeting at Ascot where Frankie Dettori landed the opener aboard Eternally.

It was perhaps written in the stars that Frankie Dettori, 20 years on from his Magnificent Seven, landed the opening Totepool EBF Stallions Breeding Winners October Stakes at Ascot.

Partnering the John Gosden-trained Eternally, Dettori employed patient tactics aboard the 11-4 favourite, eventually easing her into contention after the field had split into two groups early in the race.

Those nearest the stands' side held sway and Eternally lengthened nicely when asked by Dettori and had the race won with a furlong to run, eventually scoring by two and a quarter lengths from the staying-on Robanne with Battlement in third.

Dettori pointed his index finger to the sky after the winner and quipped: "It's only one!

"She liked the ground and I let her do her own thing. She's a nice filly and the ground helped her today. She will improve for it, too."

Reflecting on his Magnificent Seven back in 1996, he added: "It doesn't feel like 20 years - it is unreal. It has gone in the blink of an eye. Mind you, I looked quite young in those pictures!"

Gosden added: "Twenty years on and he can still ride the odd winner, eh? We'll have to put that old-age pension away for the moment, won't we?"

Of Eternally, he added: "She is very nice filly. She won well at Lingfield and we freshened her a little bit and she has come good in the autumn. She is grand filly with a good stride and I told Frankie to ride it as you find it, and that is exactly what he did.

"I'm thrilled with her."

Bookies could breathe a little easier after the Group Three Gigaset Cumberland Lodge Stakes as the Dettori-ridden Western Hymn could only finish fourth.

The 12-furlong event nevertheless produced a thrilling finish, with the William Buick-ridden Move Up getting the better of Jamie Spencer and Arab Spring after a titanic duel.

King's Fete had taken the nine-string field along at a steady clip, with Move Up on his withers throughout the first mile.

Turning for home, little had changed, with Arab Spring still to find his stride in third. Yet the complexion altered with two furlongs to race, as King's Fete started to tire and Arab Spring made his move on the outer, with Western Hymn taking closer order.

And it appeared as though Arab Spring (7-2 favourite) would get the better of his rival after nosing in front inside the final furlong.

However, Buick's mount kept finding more and he stuck his nose out where it mattered, with the 5-1 shot getting the verdict by a neck, with King's Fete holding on for third in a photo, a length and a quarter further back.

Move Up won a Turkish Group Two over the same trip last month, and Buick feels there is more to come from the Godolphin runner.

He said: "He is a nice, progressive horse, who liked this soft ground. He has stepped up markedly on what he has achieved before and I think he will only improve. He's clearly going the right way."

Bruce Raymond, representing the owners, added: "I suppose something like the St Simon Stakes at Newbury in a couple of weeks might be an option for him, but no doubt that will be discussed."

The Gosden-trained Western Hymn is almost certain to go for that same race, according to the trainer.

Librisa Breeze swooped late and fast to lift the totescoop6 Challenge Cup for jockey Robert Winston and trainer Dean Ivory.

Sent off the 11-2 favourite, Librisa Breeze and Winston threaded the needle up the stands side, making up a tremendous amount of ground to score by half a length.

Firmament stuck on for second with Squats a further head back in third. Intisaab also made headway to take fourth, another half a length back.

Winston said: "It is always the plan to hold the horse up. He needs to be put to sleep. The problem with him is that if you put him in the race, he can run too keen. We know that from his home work - he doesn't finish his races off if you rev the engine.

"Credit to connections, they left it to me as to how I wanted to ride him, and the best way to do that is to ride him for a turn of speed. The problem I had was picking up after all that trouble. It just proves he is a good horse.

"We always thought he was a good horse when Dean originally got him. But all credit to connections, Tony Bloom and Dean.

"My last two big winners when I punched the air were on this horse, so it means a lot. It doesn't get easier as you get older."

Ivory added: "I wouldn't want anyone else on him but Robert. He just sits and is cool, calm and collected. He believes in the horse and it is all about believing and knowing what you have in the horse.

"He came down to ride a bit of work for me last Thursday and I think that is very important, just to get the report from the jockey and the horse knew it would not be long before he ran again.

"It was marvellous. I'm thrilled for all the staff. You can't make a plan with the horse as to how you are going to train him - he more or less tells you how to do it, and you have to work round him.

"He likes this straight track, likes a bit of rain and everything was going right for us today. The only thing was that I haven't been in form for a while, but then I haven't had many runners. When they are like that, you just have to sit still and wait.

"It seemed to be a long season for me this season. A lot of my horses started off very high in the handicap and when it is like that, you have to count to 10 and wait."

There was a notable first for Buick in the Ascot and CAMRA 10th Anniversary Rous Stakes as the Norwegian-born jockey rode his first winner on a Norwegian-trained horse.

Easy Road (9-2), trained by Cathrine Erichsen, handed Buick a double on the afternoon and again he had to be at his brilliant best in a driving finish to repel Medicean Man and Mirza in a head-bobbing thriller.

Buick said:"It is actually my first winner for a Norwegian trainer - I've ridden winners for Swedish trainers but never Norwegian. I've known her since I was at school.

"He won at Doncaster last year but he likes the soft ground."

Connections had to drive two days with an overnight stop in Holland to run in the five-furlong event.

Erichsen said: "We stepped it up. It is so nice to have William on top, as a Norwegian, as we are so proud of him at home.

"We love to watch the English racing and Ascot is so special to us. For us to come and win here, I have no words. Pinch my arm. Is it true that we won?

"I have about 30 horses and I'm trying to build my way up. I would love to train here - I told my owner we should try to come here to train.

"I can train the horses here and ship the horses to Scandinavia, and win all the races there! You are so lucky with the training facilities and the different options with races.

"With Easy Road, I just had to make a decision. I think his perfect distance would be seven furlongs. He has won over a mile and was second in the Norwegian 2000 Guineas.

"I had to make a decision as to whether he would be a miler or a sprinter. I took him down in trip as he has turned out to be a brilliant sprinter. If he was over here, he would probably be the perfect seven-furlong horse.

"I think we will put him away and we would like to bring him back here next year. Our plan was to come for the Royal Hunt Cup, but I don't know what the handicapper will do to him now. Maybe we will find a nice Listed race for him."

Jamie Spencer was seen at his best producing Shamshon (5-1 favourite) to win the McGee Group Joining Jack Handicap right on the line for Jamie Osborne.

Spencer said: "I thought I had won when I hit the line, but the camera was on the other horse (Dutch Masterpiece), so I was a little bit concerned that I had not hit the line as well as I thought I had."