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Racing review of 2007

Last updated: 26th December 2007

A thrilling year that saw the jockeys' championship shared for the first time since the war, Frankie Dettori win his first Epsom Derby and Kauto Star light up the winter game was overshadowed by a race-fixing scandal that rumbled on into December.

That all six defendants, including three jockeys, were cleared of all charges at the Old Bailey did little to lift the suspicions of all-but those within the tightly-knit racing community that the sport is free from corruption.

After two months of legal arguments the case against Kieren Fallon, Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams collapsed after the defence put in an application of no case to answer, and are free to resume their careers after having their licences revoked by British racing authorities more than a year ago.

In Fallon's case, scandal continues to follow his every move as he must now face a hearing in France after testing positive for cocaine during the summer. The former champion jockey had only just returned to action after serving a six-month ban for failing a test in 2006 for a metabolite of a banned substance.

Rewarded

It was not all bad news for the former champion in 2007 - his Ballydoyle paymasters stood by him and he was able to ride on his Irish licence both in Ireland and in France, rewarded with victories on Cartier Horse of the Year Dylan Thomas in both the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and in the Irish St Leger on Yeats, who added another Group One victory to his second successive triumph in the Ascot Gold Cup.

The year started, and ended, with the focus on the jumpers, with all eyes on the phenomenon that was Kauto Star, who had ended 2006 as the horse to beat over all distances by winning the Betfair Chase, Tingle Creek and King George inside a month.

A narrow victory in the Aon Chase in February raised a few question marks but they were answered in no uncertain terms in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, when Paul Nicholls' chaser quickened off a slow early pace to defeat old rival Exotic Dancer by two-and-a-half lengths under a confident Ruby Walsh.

Repeat

And the ex-French chaser was just as good, if not better, later in the year, Sam Thomas deputising for the injured Walsh to drive the seven-year-old to victory over Exotic Dancer to repeat his Betfair Chase win of a year earlier - this after suffering his first defeat since falling in the Champion Chase in 2006 when going down to Monet's Garden on his reappearance.

And at Kempton on Boxing Day, re-united with Ruby Walsh, Kauto Star was simply devastating as he thrashed his six opponents by 11 lengths and more to land a second successive King George and prove beyond doubt the best horse of his generation.

However, a threat to his dominance emerged from within Nicholls' Ditcheat stables in the shape of Denman, who backed-up his trainer's lofty opinion of him by landing the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' chase at the Cheltenham Festival to prove himself top of the division.

Force

And the impressive chaser quickly stamped himself a force to be reckoned with on his first step outside novice company with one of the best weight-carrying performances in living memory, destroying a competitive field in the Hennessy Gold Cup under the welter burden of 11st 12lb on his reappearance.

Cheltenham in March saw Sublimity maintain Ireland's grip on the Champion Hurdle by causing a 16-1 turn-up in the Champion Hurdle, while Voy Por Ustedes and My Way De Solzen gave Alan King a week to remember by landing the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Arkle Trophy respectively.

The Irish were also in clover at Aintree in March when the former Nicholls-trained Silver Birch landed the Grand National for rookie trainer Gordon Elliott and Robbie Power, although a tendon injury is likely to mean the 10-year-old is unlikely to defend his title next spring.

Rebel

Focus had already been turned to the Flat and veteran trainer Geoff Huffer struck another blow for the smaller yards by winning the 2,000 Guineas with Cockney Rebel under Frenchman Olivier Peslier at odds of 25/1.

The outsider took advantage of a weakened line-up after crack two-year-olds Teofilo and Holy Roman Emperor failed to make the racetrack again - the former suffering a career-ending injury during the spring while the latter was shipped off to stud by Coolmore after George Washington (who was subsequently brought back into training) failed to make the grade as a stallion.

The 30,000gns purchase looked a potential star when following up in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh but disaster struck at Royal Ascot when he could finish only fifth behind Excellent Art in the St James's Palace Stakes, after which he was found to have suffered a fractured pelvis.

It proved to be the colt's last race as he picked up another injury on the eve of his return to action in the QE II Stakes at Ascot in September, and soon after Huffer announced his retirement from the game.

Top juvenile filly Finsceal Beo was another to dominate the early weeks of the season, winning the 1,000 Guineas at both Newmarket and the Curragh while an audacious attempt to set up an unprecedented hat-trick in France in between just came up short when Darjina got the better of a nodding finish.

Business

Frankie Dettori had entered the winter months dreaming of a first Derby victory aboard Authorized, whom Peter Chapple-Hyam sent out to land the Racing Post Trophy at odds of 25/1 in heavy ground the previous autumn, and the trainer duly did the business 15 years after saddling Dr Devious to win his first Derby.

Victory for Authorized in the Dante Stakes at York meant Dettori's mount was the subject of a nationwide plunge on the big day, and the Montjeu colt was sent off the 5-4 favourite to give Dettori his first success in the big race after 14 previous attempts.

It proved a doddle for the pair, who were always seen to be travelling well on the outside of the field, and when the Italian asked his mount to quicken the response was significant, as Authorized stormed clear in the closing stages to beat chief market rival Eagle Mountain by five lengths.

Chapple-Hyam's charge only raced three more times, finishing second in the Eclipse at Sandown before beating older horses for the first time - including Dylan Thomas - in an equally impressive triumph in the Juddmonte at York. By Longchamp in October the delicate colt had had enough, and despite being sent off the 11-10 favourite for the Arc trailed home 10th of the 12 runners.

Having been purchased earlier in the year by Sheikh Mohammed, the colt will now stand at Newmarket's Dalham Hall Stud for �25,000.

Ballydoyle's Peeping Fawn took over from Finsceal Beo as the filly to follow as she improved from race-to-race, running 10 times in all, winning her last four races and all in Group One company, too.

Emotional

However, at Epsom in June she was powerless to prevent an emotional Classic victory for veteran trainer Henry Cecil, who was given a hero's welcome to the winner's enclosure when his Light Shift held off Aiden O'Brien's filly to give Cecil his eighth victory in the race - and his first Classic since Love Divine in 2000.

And the popular Newmarket handler can dream of further Classic success in 2008 with the undefeated Twice Over, who heads into the winter as second favourite for the Derby following his victory in the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket.

However, the two-year-old that dominated the division in 2007 was New Approach, representing the same connections as Teofilo a year before.

Indeed, trainer Jim Bolger gave the son of Galileo an identical five-race programme to his predecessor, and followed in his hoofprints by winning every one, with a climactic victory in the Dewhurst Stakes.

Bolger and jockey Kevin Manning will be hoping this year's vintage will remain in one piece long enough to at least make it back to the racecourse this time around, with New Approach a warm order for both the 2,000 Guineas and Derby.

The Brian Meehan-trained Fast Company was beaten by just half-a-length in the Dewhurst, and was subsequently bought by Godolphin who look to hold a strong hand for the Guineas with Grand Criterium winner Rio De La Plata and Racing Post Trophy hero Ibn Khaldun also in the mix.

Donny

The latter's victory came at Doncaster where racing resumed following an 18 month hiatus following a complete rebuilding of the grandstand on Town Moor.

The track re-opened for the St Leger meeting where the John Gosden-trained Lucarno took the honours under Jimmy Fortune, who was capping a fine season that reached a peak with five winners at Royal Ascot in June including a treble on the second day.

Lucarno had finished fourth behind Authorized in the Derby but proved stamina doubts to be unfounded by beating the O'Brien pair of Mahler and hot favourite Honolulu in the oldest Classic.

The former went on to run in the Melbourne Cup in November, where he joined the Luca Cumani-trained Purple Moon in one of the strongest European challenges for the big race.

And the duo looked to have the race between them approaching the final furlong but the locally-trained Efficient came through with a late surge to beat Purple Moon by half a length with Mahler in third.

Doncaster also staged the final day's racing of the Flat season and it played host to a thrilling climax to thye jockeys championship, with Jamie Spencer riding the winner of the concluding event on Inchnadamph to tie Seb Sanders on 190 winners.

After an exhasuting final few weeks of the season neither rider deserved to lose and the title was shared.