Frankie Dettori: snapped up by connections of Hansom
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/racingpostpix.comDettori booked for Deutsches Derby ride
GERMANY: Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride Hansom in the Deutsches Derby on Sunday week. Richard Hughes and Darryll Holland are other British-based riders who have been signed up.
Dettori - who gained one of his first important wins on Temporal in this Classic in 1991 - has already seen something of his mount.
Fredrik Johansson: on standby
PICTURE: Gerry & Mark CranhamHansom was third, a short head and one and a half lengths behind Saphir and the Godolphin-owned Peligroso, which Dettori rode that day, in a Group 3 at Munich on June 1. The son of Ransom O'War is trained by Erika Mader.
Hughes and Holland will both be riding for Waldemar Hickst. Hughes will be on Egon, a close fourth to Wiener Walzer in the Group 2 Oppenheim Union-Rennen two weeks ago after making much of the running.
Most local interest is concentrated on which of Wiener Walzer and Suestado will be the choice of Jens Hirschberger's stable jockey Adrie de Vries.
Fredrik Johansson, whowon the race with Adlerflug two years ago, is on standby for the second string.
There is little to choose between them on form. Indeed that could be a general problem for punters since the official handicapper has no more than 9lb between the top 11 horses.
A new course at Hamburg, host track for the Deutsches Derby which opens its doors for its one week meeting on Saturday, has moved a step closer.
The City Senate has agreed a proposal and willput up €1.4m (about £1.186m) to cover the costs of planning preparation, the first time that it has shown its willingness to contribute to the course.
The new course, which is expected to cost €31m (over £26m), would replace not only Horn, where the Derby is run, but the Bahrenfeld trotting track as well.
