Ribbons Gives Dettori Group I Deauville Sweep
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Jockey Frankie Dettori swept both group I races on Deauville's Aug. 24 card when landing the Darley Prix Jean Romanet with impressive filly Ribbons after taking the Darley Prix Morny with The Wow Signal one race earlier.
A homebred daughter of Manduro, off at 11-1 with British bookmakers, Ribbons exploded leaving the home turn and was a convincing two-length winner from 39-1 shot Princess Loulou for her first stakes win. Highly regarded Secret Gesture was third and 11-10 favorite Narniyn was fourth in the field of 10 older fillies and mares.
Based in England with James Fanshawe, who trains the 4-year-old filly for Elite Racing Club, Ribbons settled at the back of the field in the early running before angling widest of all into the straight. Unleashing ground-devouring strides for Dettori, she hit the front inside the final furlong and was much the best over very soft turf.
Ribbons covered 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in 2:09.98 to take her record to 5-2-1 from eight career starts.
Euphrasia led soon after the start, tracked by Secret Gesture for most of the trip but it was Princess Loulou who got past Euphrasia on the rail and Secret Gesture, who was in the center of track. Ribbons was overwhelming on the outside, however, and won with authority.
Ribbons is the first starter from her winning dam, the Marju mare Sister Act, a full sister to Elite Racing Club's European champion mare Soviet Song.
"At home she's always looked a very good filly," Fanshawe told Racing Post about the late-blossoming Ribbons. "Her aunt is Soviet Song, and like her, she puts her head down."
Ribbons struck for her first win from three starts this year, entering off a pair of runner-up finishes on turf May 10 at Ascot and on the all-weather at Kempton in April, both going a mile.