"People wait all their lives to win a Derby and I win two in 24 hours"
A TIDE of confidence produced by his first win in the Derby at Epsom swept Frankie Dettori to victory aboard Lawman in the French equivalent - the Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly - to complete another chapter in the jockey's remarkable career.
Dettori followed up Authorized's success with a flawless front-running ride aboard the Jean-Marie Beguigne-trained winner, on whom he took the mount only after regular jockey Olivier Peslier was claimedfor another runner.
He said: "This is just so surreal and crazy. People wait all their lives to win a Derby and I win two in 24 hours."
Dettori, who has won the French Derby twice before on Polytain (1992) and Shamardal (2005), did have a few worries in the preliminaries as Lawman got really worked up and dislodged him in the paddock before some rather nervous behaviour during the parade. The jockey did not wait for it to finish and took Lawman down early, but he then had to cope with a false start as the stall holding Zambezi Sun did not open properly.
Having set out to make all, Dettori slowed things down rounding the final turn and then quickened. A furlong out Lawman had the Jockey-Club at his mercy and it was left to Literato to follow him home, a length and a half behind, followed by Shamdinan and Zambezi Sun. Peslier, who had suggested Dettori as his replacement to Beguigne, finished sixth on No Dream.
Dettori said after the race: "I don't feel anything anymore and I don't know what to think - I don't even know what is going on! I am so glad for the way everything has gone. Winning yesterday gave me more confidence today without a doubt.
"This is the greatest weekend in my career and it's simply unbelievable. I decided to go to the start early as Lawman was getting a bit worked up and he went down really well. The colt was relaxed during the race and I gave him a breather round the turn before hitting hammer in the straight. Lawman is a wonderful horse and I was happy throughout the race and the rest is now history.
"The Magnificent Seven was unique, but these are major races, and I am sure I will have a headache at Windsor tomorrow night!"
Three other jockeys have landed the English/French Derby double. Lester Piggott didit in 1972 with Hard to Beat and Roberto, then Willie Carson achieved the same feat with Policeman and Henbit in 1980 before Pat Eddery's turn came in 1990 with Sanglamore and Quest for Fame.
Although Aidan O'Brien was fined �10,000 when Scorpion broke from a parade before the Grand Prix de Paris two years ago, the stewards, after some deliberation, did not punish Dettori.
However, a senior official at France-Galop said: "It was very disturbing that he broke the parade. He is by far the best jockey in the world and should have been more responsible to his fellow riders."
Dettori explained: "I fell off during the parade and then got back on, but I could feel he was uncomfortable so I broke off from the parade.
"The stewards asked me why I had broken the parade so I told them it was because I had fallen off."
Lawman, who cost �75,000 at the Deauville sales, is Italian-owned, and last autumn, when Kieren Fallon rode the colt to win first time out, he said to Beguigne after the race: "With this colt, you are going to win a Derby."
The shy Beguigne, who won the Prix de Diane with Latice in 2004, was difficult to locate after the race but eventually said: "I feel a very relieved man now and this is a job well done by all my team.
尞awman will now have a rest and be brought back later in the year. I have an idea of a race but I don't want to talk about for the moment."
Runner-up Literato cost just �40,000 at Deauville and runs in the colours of the new French Minister of Defence Herve Morin who said of the experience: "It's just great, great, great."
Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget added: "Although we finished second, we feel as though we won. All our congratulations to the winner and our horse gave all. Brooklyn Boy (ninth) plainly didn't stay the distance but still ran a super race."
The Aga Khan's Shamdinan was third and he had revenge over his old rival Zambezi Sun who did not get into the race until the closing stages. The first-named's rider Christophe Soumillon added: "If I had been nearer coming into the straight I would have certainly been closer at the finish."
Trainer Pascal Bary said of Zambezi Sun: "He didn't really get into the race until the end and is still a little green."
The British invaders made little impression. John Gosden trained the first two to pass the post as Raincoat - second to Authorized in the Dante Stakes - was 11th and Sunshine Kid 12th.
Gosden said of Raincoat: "He ran fine but missed the break and was knocked about during the race. He is not used to two starts but finished well and needs further."
Dettori has also picked up a plum ride on West Wind in next Sunday's Prix de Diane Hermes - the French Oaks. The Sheikh Mohammed-owned filly will be supplemented into the Classic by trainer Alex Pantall on Thursday.
West Wind was probably the ride of the highly-promising young Johan Victoire but he picked up a two-day ban at Longchamp last Thursday and he is not appealing against the suspension.
The daughter of Machiavellian hacked up at Chantilly in the Prix de la Chapelle en Serval last month having previously been beaten by Coquerelle who went on to win the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary.
