Frankie to plump for Punctilious
Wednesday June 02 2004
"We'll see how they are at 10am tomorrow morning (final declaration time) but I am leaning towards Punctilious at this stage," said Dettori yesterday.
Punctilious was cut to 9/4 favourite from 5/2 by Ladbrokes with her stablemate second best at 5/2.
Meanwhile, Richard Hills wasn't far wrong but he still ended up being caught out by Bandari as he was edged out aboard Ikhtyar in the betfair.com Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown yesterday evening.
Having also unsuccessfully picked against Bandari at Newmarket earlier this season, the jockey had warned before tonight's Group Three race that the choice between the two Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned horses had not been easy.
But he was proved unfortunately correct as the pair enjoyed a thrilling duel throughout the final stages before Bandari and Kerryman Willie Supple ultimately just came out on top by a neck.
There was plenty of contact between the two - both sent off at 7/2 - but with both horses lugging into each other at differing stages, neither party was more guilty than the other.
Sunstrach stayed on best of the rest to take third, but still finished seven lengths adrift of the front two.
Winning trainer Mark Johnston said: "There are obviously plenty of options for him, including the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and the Coral-Eclipse."
Connections of unplaced favourite Lateen Sails reported that the colt had been fresh and run too freely.
