Fastnet Rock's Absurde Keep Frankie's Melbourne Cup Dream Alive

Mark Smith - Sunday August 27

Absurde is likely to line up in the Melbourne Cup alongside stablemate and ruling favourite Vauban after the son of Fastnet Rock earned a golden ticket with his win in the £500,000 Ebor Hcp at York, to the delight of fans of Frankie Dettori.

What a day for Frankie (image Sporting Life)

There was no semblance of a fluke either as the Willie Mullins-trained 5yo gelding was hung out on a limb three deep the trip.

Absurde seemed aware of the situation as he dug deep to repel the challenge of the favourite Sweet William (See The Stars) by a half-length with the same distance back to the game topweight Live Your Dream (Iffraaj) in third.

The signs were not so good earlier when Absurde was none to keen to go to the start. Dettori was forced to dismount and lead him for the best part of 600m.

Advertisement

“Credit to him, he showed some guts and stuck his neck out for the last bit because I thought I was beat,” Dettori told ITV Racing.

“He’s a horse that needs cover, and I found myself in front three out so I thought, well I’ve messed that up!

“It's unbelievable to win on my last ride. I thought coming here today to win on Kinross would be great, but I didn’t expect this one. It’s double sweet.

“I said to Willie 'listen I’m going Down Under for my last rides so please consider me' and he said he will, but only time will tell.”

Mullins said he will attempt to convince the owners to head to Melbourne for the first Tuesday in November.

“I’ll have a word Margaret and Andrew Heffernan who own the horse, they’re away with family today and couldn’t be here. But I’ll speak to them and see if they’re interested in going down to Australia and I’m sure they’d love to.

“I think the horse will pass the tests to be able to run in it no problem – unless they do a brain scan after his antics going to the start! He’s a good sound horse and we’d look forward to going to Melbourne.

“But today is about Frankie, a remarkable jockey and I thought he was brilliant on Absurde.”

“Frankie has shown us what he can do. I thought he was beaten half a furlong out, I don’t know where Frankie got his energy from in the last 100 yards.

“He pulled that one out of the fire I thought, he was brilliant on him."

Absurde a €260,000 purchase at Arqana Summer Sale

Soundly beaten Vauban at Ascot on June 20, Absurde prepped for the Ebor with a sixth in a Novice Hurdle at Galway on August 1.

Absurde was a €260,000 purchase for Pb Bloodstock / H. Kirk / WP Mullins, from the Wertheimer & Frère consignment at the 2022 Arqana Summer Sale after proving a consistent performer for Carlos Laffon-Parias.

Soundly beaten Vauban at Ascot on June 20, Absurde prepped for the Ebor with a sixth in a Novice Hurdle at Galway on August 1.

It was a big Saturday for Trilogy Racing, celebrating success with Libertad in the San Domenico Stakes and owning Absurde’s stakes-placed half-sister  Impertinente (IRE) (Redoute’s Choice), a $160,000 purchase at the 2022 Great Southern Broodmare Sale.  

Fastnet Rock

 

Advertisment
More Reading...
Castelvecchio Out for Remainder of Season
Aeliana’s late charge into second place in the $1.5million Group I MRC Thousand Guineas last Saturday stamped her as the filly to follow out of the race, but it wasn’t quite enough to put her sire Castelvecchio to the top of the second season sires list and he is now out of service at Arrowfield following surgery last week.
Churchill Colt Pulls Off Stunning Pinhooking Result at NZB Ready To Run
Chad Ormsby has enjoyed plenty of racetrack success this year with pinhooks that he has been unable to sell at the Ready to Run Sale, but the multi-talented horseman had a very different outcome with the standout member of his 2024 Riverrock Farm draft at Karaka on Thursday.
Sires With Winners - Thursday November 21
Here is the full list of 32 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Ka Ying Rising connection draws Hayes team to Shamexpress at Karaka
With one of the world’s most exciting sprinters flying the flag for David Hayes in Hong Kong, it has been no surprise to see the trainer’s sons zeroing in on progeny of Windsor Park Stud stallion Shamexpress during the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka this week.
City of Troy Crowned 2024 Cartier European Horse of the Year
Outstanding Justify colt City of Troy was crowned Horse of the Year at the 2024 Cartier awards on Wednesday night in London at a star studded ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel.
Vale, Danny Champion
The thoroughbred racing industry is in mourning following the passing of respected horseman Danny Champion.
Melbourne Cup Runner Wins at Cheltenham
Seventh in the Melbourne Cup last year, the Willie Mullins trained French bred hurdler Absurde was back in the winning groove at the big Cheltenham jumping festival overnight scoring a brilliant win in the County Handicap Hurdle (2m1f).
Blockbuster Sale as NZB Ready to Run Records Tumble
Expectations were exceeded at Karaka with tremendous results witnessed across two days of selling at NZB’S 2024 Ready to Run Sale, confirming the demand for proven racetrack results and quality New Zealand-prepared horses.
Arkansaw Kid Brother Sells for $520,000
A well-related son of Harry Angel provided a late highlight in the final hour of the 2024 NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on Thursday when he was knocked down to a $520,000 bid from bloodstock agent Morgan Carter.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Castelvecchio has gone from nowhere to somewhere during the course of this spring with three stakes-winners putting his name in lights and he had a promising three year-old colt salute at Hawkesbury on Thursday that has now won two of three starts.