The red-hot pairing of John Gosden and Frankie Dettori combined to claim another high-profile G1 at Glorious Goodwood, the Qatar Sussex Stakes, and in doing so a fees-paid berth in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Come rain or shine in 2019, Frankie Dettori leaping off a John Gosden superstar is becoming a regular sight across the winner’s enclosures of Europe’s finest racecourse. And now it seems American fans might get a glimpse of that famous celebration after Too Darn Hot continued his resurgence to win the £1 million ($1.23m) feature.
Partnered by his in-form jockey, the beautifully-bred son of Dubawi had too much pace for his rivals as the much-maligned 3-year crop found a major representative to stand up to the elder statesmen of British racing.
Shock early-season losses had threatened to derail last year’s 2-year-old champion, but a patient ride by the sublime Italian allowed him to showcase his impressive turn-of-foot in the final furlongs of an evenly run renewal.
“He's got so much natural speed but still managed to get a mile. He deserved to win a proper Group 1 – we all thought he had it in him," said Dettori, who has won an astonishing 11 G1s since May 31.
The John Gosden-trained colt, who went off as an even-priced favourite, is now seemingly living up to the hype. His delighted trainer said in the aftermath that Too Darn Hot – who claimed his spot through the Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge – will look to emulate 2018 Sussex runner-up Expert Eye in winning the turf highlight, run this year at Santa Anita. A feat that only two British-trained horses have ever achieved.
"He's in the Haydock Sprint Cup and he'll be put in the sprint on Champions Day at Ascot,” the three-times champion trainer told Racing TV. "But, a race I'm really toying with in my mind is the Breeders' Cup Mile. It's an oval, flat track on quick ground.
"A good seven-furlong horse loves the mile there [Santa Anita] and that might just be the one to think about more than anything - I think we'll probably work back from that."
As part of the benefits from the Challenge series, Breeders’ Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside North America to compete in the two-day event at Santa Anita on November 1-2.