Classic of Course comes out on top in the Cutler Bay (Coglianese)
Forty Years Later, Dettori Rides a Winner for Biancone
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After winning Saturday’s $165,000 The Cutler Bay for trainer Patrick Biancone aboard Classic of Course, jockey Frankie Dettori recalled a decision he made four decades ago.
“Want to hear a funny story?” Dettori asked. “Forty years ago when I was 14 I told my dad I wanted to be a jockey, his master plan was to do six months with Luca Cumani and six months with Patrick Biancone [who] was a very known trainer for young jockeys.
“But I never got to Patrick. It took 40 years to find him a winner.”
The 7 ½ furlong Cutler Bay on the turf provided Dettori and Biancone with the elusive victory. Breaking alertly, Dettori guided the Florida-bred to the rail while favored Forged Steel set fractions of :23.11 and :45.77. Dettori moved Classic of Course into fourth and guided him four-wide entering the stretch before driving away to a three-quarter length victory over Forged Steel. I’m Due was third.
“They we’re going too fast for me,” Dettori said. “I tucked him on the fence and I had to go wide but he was full of momentum. He’s a nice horse.”
Dettori also wanted to show sympathy to jockey Junior Alvarado, who was named originally on Classic of Course, before being injured earlier in the week.
“This horse has run a lot of quality races,” Biancone said. “We like him a lot. He was supposed to go to Turfway to run on the Tapeta, but the 10 days before he got a little bit of a fever, so I missed a work. I had to regroup and change. He’s mature now. The blinkers help a lot. He’s more focused.”
Biancone said next up could be the $1 million American Turf (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day.
