Daylami produces the goosebumps

Daylami's thrashing of seven worthy opponents in the King George & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes gave Frankie Dettori goosepimples on his back.

But Dettori was not the only one to experience the happy nodules.

As the grey accelerated past Nedawi with well over a furlong of the race remaining and galloped five lengths clear of his Godolphin stablemate, the 33,500 crowd had them too.

Fruits of Love kept on valiantly to get within half a length of the runner-up, in a race where elders proved betters. The two three- year-olds, Derby first and second Oath and Daliapour again occupied neighbouring placings, but this time in seventh and eighth.

Doubts persisted at the start of the week as to how the race would shape tactically. But fears of an unsatisfactory pace were groundless as Daliapour and Nedawi combined to set up a race completed within the course-and-distance standard time.

So too were doubts as to the stamina of Daylami, whose ability to last home in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last month had been attributed to the slow pace set by stable-companion Central Park.

While Dettori has never been blase about victory, this one left him hardly able to contain himself.

He said: "I had goosepimples down my back - I could not believe a horse in a tough King George like today could produce a turn of foot like that.

"He has a turbo, I couldn't believe it. I knew the horse was in great shape, Saeed prepared the horse very well - and he got here feeling absolutely 100%.

"In all his races he takes a furlong to find his top gear. Round the turn I was niggling along, but as long as I was in contact with the front ranks I knew if I am good enough, I am going to win.

"I got into the straight, I got him balanced, I gave him a crack with the whip and the turn of foot was instantaneous.

"I went by Gary (Stevens, on Nedawi) and he shouted, 'Go get 'em, Frankie!' But his voice was getting longer and longer away."

Addressing the question of the five-year-old's stamina Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford was assured.

"We were always confident the horse did stay a mile and a half," he said. "There was a lot of talk that he was a better horse over a mile and a quarter, but I think we knew the horse well enough to know a mile and a half was within his compass.

"He would certainly be as good as any of the horses we have had because he is so versatile. Before today he was just a racehorse. Today he is a champion. He still had something to prove - today he proved it."

Henry Cecil left the course unable to offer an explanation for Oath - it transpired Daliapour had injured a heel leaving the stalls - but Fallon said: "It was too bad to be true. There was no kick."

Crisford added Daylami may run next in the Irish Champion Stakes to amass points for the Emirates World Series Racing Championship, of which today's race was the second heat. Saeed bin Suroor won the first, the Dubai World Cup, with Almutawakel.

"People were saying they felt our season was a bit quiet," Crisford went on. "I think now we can safely say with seven Group Ones we are holding our head above water.

"What more do you want?"

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.