Frankie’s Dante-proven Derby winners: Wings more like Golden Horn

Ladbrokes ambassador Frankie Dettori is 4/1 for the third Epsom Derby win of his glorious career after landing the Dante with Wings Of Desire last week.

Dettori first managed the feat aboard Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Authorized in 2007, before breaking a seven-year barren spell courtesy of John Gosden student Golden Horn last season.

Both colts won the Knavesmire trial en route to Epsom immortality, but this year’s Dante winner has more in common with the latter.

Cross referencing the Classic-winning duo’s pre-Derby careers with that of Wings Of Desire throws up several similarities across all three runners.

Not one of them enjoyed a particularly auspicious debut.

Authorized was third in a Newbury conditions race won by Teslin, a horse that went on to win a further two races, both handicaps, in a 29-race career.

Meanwhile, Golden Horn took the laurels, but at Nottingham, hardly known as a hotbed for future Classic winners.

Wings Of Desire didn’t even make it to the racecourse at two and was third to two horses that have failed to win since in his maiden earlier this term.

The trio also earned near identical Racing Post Ratings of 88, 86 and 87 respectively for their racecourse bows, while none benefited from Dettori’s expert tuition on the first foray into competitive action.

Where Frankie’s potential mount for the 2016 Derby differs from Authorized and can claim greater similarity to Golden Horn is on pedigree.

A son of 1999 French and Irish Derby and Prix-de-l’Arc-de-Triomphe-winning sire Montjeu out a mare by 1990 Arc king Saumarez, the former’s genes were the very definition of stamina.

John Gosden’s 2015 and 2016 Dante winners, on the other hand, were both fathered by those whose defining successes came over shorter trips, making them open to staying-power queries as a result.

Golden Horn’s sire was miler Cape Cross, while he out of a mare by Dubai Destination, another ex-campaigner whose successes came over 7f and 8f, yet he dispelled 1m4f stamina doubts with aplomb at Epsom.

Wings Of Desire, meanwhile, is a son of a horse that earned his stud career over even shorter distances, namely King’s Stand Stakes (5f) winner Pivotal.

However, his dam was sired by Wings Of Love, a three-time Grade 1 winner over 1m4f, suggesting a reassuring stayer’s influence in his bloodline.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.