Dettori puts faith in Blue Bunting
Frankie Dettori has every faith in Blue Bunting as the filly bids to provide him with his fourth win in the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Friday.
The Italian admitted her victory in the 1000 Guineas was a surprise, having expected her best chance of Classic glory would come over a mile and a half.
And while he respects the opposition, Godolphin’s number jockey would not swap his mount for anything else as she bids to emulate Kazzia, who did the same big-race double for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation in 2002.
Dettori, the face of the Qipco British Champions Series, of which the Oaks forms part, said: “She is the favourite and is a very nice filly, but it isn’t going to be a walk in the park.
“We expected her to run well at Newmarket but we thought she might not have enough speed to win a Guineas. She proved everybody wrong.
“She’s a very exciting filly and I’m looking forward to Epsom. It is going to be tough against the O’Brien filly (Wonder Of Wonders) and the Dunlop filly (Beatrice Aurore), but we are very happy at this stage where we are with ours. She is a Guineas winner and you’ve got to respect that.”
Her trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni believes Blue Bunting’s stamina will stand her in good stead.
“We have always regarded her as a nice filly, she made most of the running twice as a juvenile and it’s hard to do that, especially over a straight mile at Newmarket,” he said.
“We decided to try and shield her in the Guineas and let her finish the race to try and get placed.
“They went a good pace and the strong wind made it very difficult for the horses at the front, which also played to her stamina. I think that the best thing to do will be to drop her in at first.
“It takes her a long time to get going in her races – we saw that at Newmarket, when she was outpaced at the start but started to get going in the second half of the race.
“The course is a bit of an unknown but she is a well-balanced filly and I am hopeful that she can cope with the track.”
Mick Channon feels the trip will play to the strengths of the unbeaten Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Zain Al Boldan, one of two runners he saddles in the fillies’ Classic.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised (by her progress),” said the West Ilsley trainer. “We always liked her and she won as a two-year-old, when she showed an awful lot of speed.
“But this year she’s been crying out for a trip, she stays well and she tends to act on any sort of ground.
“Any sort of contours in the track won’t be a problem and she’s a tough little filly. I just hope she’s got the class to take us that step further.
“I don’t think her temperament will be a problem. She loves her racing and loves her work. She’s unbeaten and has done nothing wrong. We’ve also got Fork Handles, which we tend to forget.
“Obviously Zain Al Boldan is the number one, but she’s a good filly in her own right. It’s exciting times.”
