Dettori lands Italian prize

Ancient World led home a British clean sweep in the one-mile Premio Vittorio di Capua at San Siro in Milan today.

Frankie Dettori, riding on the crest of a wave at the top of the jockeys’ championship, had the Godolphin runner in front from the start and kicked clear of Marbye in the straight.

The Mick Channon-trained Majestic Desert closed to within a length and a quarter at the line, with Richard Hannon’s Hurricane Alan a further length and a half away in third, but the winner never looked in danger.

It was a first Group One success for Ancient World, who landed the William Hill Mile under top weight at Glorious Goodwood in July and was a Windsor Group Three winner last time out.

Dettori said the Godolphin team had not been sure exactly how good Ancient World was, but that today’s result proved he was “very good”.

He attributed the ex-Andre Fabre horse’s improvement to a gelding operation which had made “all the difference” and reported that the four-year-old had been “a very difficult horse and is now much more relaxed”.

It was Godolphin’s fourth victory in the race in the last six years.

Darryll Holland, who expressed himself very happy with the performance of Majestic Desert, met trouble in running on another Channon inmate, Umniya, in the Group Three Premio Dormello.

The filly was tucked in behind the leaders in the mile contest but could not get a gap on the inside, and had to be switched to make her run.

She finished fast down the outside but the winner Nouvelle Noblesse had flown and she just failed to snatch second from Gold Marie.