Prosperous Voyage Upsets Inspiral in Falmouth

Rob Hornby and Frankie Dettori have handled recent reversals in fortune with aplomb and it became clear as they entered the final furlong of the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket July 8 that one of them was going to get a well-deserved break.

It did not so much as fall Hornby's way as he seized it on Prosperous Voyage . Having seen Inspiral  and Sandrine  pass him two furlongs out, he kept his cool and rather than responding to their greater acceleration, trusted his filly's stamina and ground them down. By the line Prosperous Village was a 1 3/4 lengths clear.

While Dettori's 'sabbatical' from John and Thady Gosden's stable has dominated the headlines in recent weeks, Hornby's jocking off from subsequent Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) winner Westover  was of a similarly high profile.

He was gracious as he watched Colin Keane achieve a win he was almost certainly capable of delivering and then found out Scope —who had at that point given him his only group 1 win—had to be put down after fracturing his right-hind cannon bone and pastern during exercise.

Here his need was arguably greater. Dettori's legacy is already ensured, but Hornby was doubling his group 1 tally. He described it as "bonkers," while trainer Ralph Beckett pointed out perhaps the greatest irony.

If Gosden's tension with Dettori had been allowed to run a while longer and the 1-7 favorite Inspiral had another man aboard, then Prosperous Voyage's owners Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen would have almost certainly opted for their good friend Dettori over Hornby.

Dettori was due to ride the filly if she had run in Thursday's listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, but 'them's the breaks' as they say. It certainly was not lost on the rider.

"It's crazy isn't it how things can change," he said. "I'm just so pleased for the filly and the whole team. It's bonkers, isn't it? I'm in a very privileged position thanks to Ralph and the owners and connections, to be riding in these group 1s is where all jockeys want to be and days like this make everything worthwhile.

"It's a crazy sport we play, the ups and downs of it. It was terribly sad to lose Scope, especially after the yard having such a tremendous weekend with Westover.

"Nothing's ever happened for me straight away, I plugged away through my apprenticeship under the guidance of Mr. (Andrew) Balding and the academy there probably stood me in good stead for the highs and lows of what's to come.

"You've got to keep kicking and when the opportunity is given to you try your best and get it done."

Beckett too recognized the importance of the moment for his loyal rider.

"He's become an integral part of our operation," he said. "Whether he rides all the horses or not is not the be-all and end-all. He's a very laid-back character and nothing bothers him.

"When he was challenged he sat still, which suits this filly and she came good underneath him. He does that a bit (waits on one that gets passed), you'll see it when our horses are running really well. Sometimes it's gone well, sometimes it's not gone so well but he never panics."

Zoffany , sire of Prosperous Voyage, had his 50th black-type stakes winner with the Falmouth.