Frankie Dettori goes his own way to take Ebor aboard Trawlerman

Frankie Dettori plotted a distinctive route to victory aboard Trawlerman in the £500,000 Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York on Saturday, taking a solitary path on the far rail through the opening quarter-mile before settling in the lead turning out of the back. He then galvanised his partner from third place to the narrowest of wins well inside the final furlong.

Dettori adopted similar tactics from a wide draw aboard Golden Horn, Trawlerman’s sire, in the 2015 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and the 9-1 chance showed considerable courage to run down Alfred Boucher, a winner on Wednesday’s card at the track, after he appeared to have opened up a decisive lead in the closing stages.

“On the line, I knew it was close, because I was gaining all the time,” Dettori said. “It was quite some race. I led on my own by 10 lengths by the time we got to the stable gate [on the far side], then I got him to relax but I thought, is he relaxed or is he tired?

“He stayed on all right. The Irish horse [Earl Of Tyrone] passed me by a good neck and then grey horse [Alfred Boucher] passed me and I thought I’d finish third. But then he found some energy out of I don’t know where and I thought we might get second. On the line, I thought we might have got there.”

Earlier on the card, Soulcombe overcame his customary slow start to turn the Melrose Handicap – for three-year-olds over the Ebor trip – into a procession. Caius Chorister had a clear lead turning for home and was still at the head of affairs with two furlongs to run, but Hollie Doyle scythed through the field on Soulcombe to take it up a furlong out and went further clear all the way to the line.

Brighton: 1.45 Fair And Square, 2.15 Betweenthesticks, 2.45 Batchelor Boy, 3.20 At Liberty, 3.50