Racing: Parasol shades rivals for all-weather glory

Frankie Dettori's fleeting break from his Dubai season proved eminently worthwhile here yesterday with a feature-race double on the richest-ever card on an all-weather track in this country. The combined winning purses of £135,000 hardly rivalled those at the jockey's next spotlighted day at the office, the Dubai World Cup meeting at the end of the month, and the palm trees were lacking, but the course was basking in early spring sunshine and, appropriately, Parasol won the main event, the Winter Derby.

The four-year-old colt, transferred from the Godolphin squad to David Loder during the close season, took the 10- furlong contest despite having the assistance from his putative pacemaker, his stablemate Shami, ruled out by the draw. With Shami stranded wide on the tight track, Dettori, from the number five stall in a field of 14, jumped Parasol out smartly and the closest another horse came to him was the neck he had in hand of last year's winner, Adiemus, at the line.

Despite his name and the visor he sports Parasol was troubled, Bucephalus-like, by the glare of the sun. "All the way down the straight he could see his own shadow, and was hanging into the rails looking at it," said Dettori, "but once the other horse came to him he got on with his job and ran on again properly." The Italian, slightly facetiously, treated the crowd to his trademark flying dismount. "Well, it is a Derby, isn't it?" he said.

The lightly raced Parasol, who runs for Dubai-based businessman Mohammed Al Nabouda under the Maktoum family banner and is a half-brother to smart filly Mot Juste, maintained his improvement in accounting for Adiemus, whom he had beaten on 9lb better terms here last month. "Today was plan A," said Loder. "Now we'll be looking at something like the Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket next month."

Adiemus may turn out for Saturday's Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster, in which he finished a head second a year ago carrying a penalty for his Winter Derby win. He is favourite for the first feature of the Flat turf season, but his trainer, Jeremy Noseda, said: "He ran a big race and I've no complaints. But we'll see how he is before any decision about the Lincoln."

Dettori's second victory, by a length and three-quarters on Gimcrack Stakes third Membership in the £75,000 Spring Cup over seven furlongs, also brought up a double for the colt's trainer Clive Brittain, who had been on the mark in the opening 10-furlong maiden with the Kieren Fallon-ridden Dutch Gold, a half-brother to the top-class Crimplene. The ever-optimistic Newmarket trainer regards both three-year-olds as live Classic prospects. "Crimplene never showed anything until she was three, and Dutch Gold has been working like a very useful horse," he said. "Membership already had smart form last year and has really strengthened up during the winter."

The Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, traditionally the season's two-year-old curtain-raiser, was upstaged this year by yesterday's Arena Leisure Juvenile Stakes, in calendar terms the earliest such contest run in this country for 48 years. The winner, Western Roots, another for Fallon, may make history by being the first winner to line up for the Brocklesby on Thursday. "It's more a possibility than a plan," said trainer Paul Cole, sporting a tan to rival David Dickinson's, "but at least he'd know more than the rest of them."

Barry Geraghty proved he had balls at Cheltenham, where he was leading rider with five winners, but after his fifth place in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter yesterday the fact may be open to debate. He was going well on Silver Steel in the group of five who broke free from the pack on the final circuit when his saddle began to slip back, and ended up on the gelding's rump. Geraghty kicked his feet from the irons and jumped the last four fences in painful bareback fashion.

The four-and-a-quarter-mile marathon went to 6-1 shot Intelligent, who capped a marvellous week for his trainer, Jessica Harrington, on the mark at Prestbury Park with Moscow Flyer and Spirit Leader. Yesterday's winner was ridden by 5lb-claiming conditional Robbie Power, 21, in a manner befitting the gelding's name, letting him lob round at the back for two circuits on energy-sapping ground before putting him in front four from home. The finish concerned Power and the amateur Jamie Moore on Akarus, both looking commendably stylish.

"This has been an unbelievable week," said Harrington, "to bring three horses over to England and win with them all." With neat symmetry, Harrington's previous winner of the Uttoxeter race, Miss Orchestra five years ago, was ridden by a then-promising young jockey, Geraghty. "I hope Robbie can emulate him at Cheltenham in years to come," she added.