Bell hopes Tactician can deliver to fend off Dettori bid

“She’s brilliant for racing,” he said.

Her Majesty will be hoping that York specialist Tactician, winner of the John Smith’s Silver Cup before finishing second in the Ebor, can beat Dettori’s mount Opinion Poll, the Goodwood Cup winner who franked this form by landing the Lonsdale Cup at the Ebor festival.

However, she can expect no charity from the charismatic Italian who is buoyed by his big race success yesterday on Meeznah.

Dettori knows that it takes a special horse to win the two-mile marathon – his past winners in the race include Sergeant Cecil five years ago and Mark Johnston’s iconic Double Trigger in 1996, the second of the Yorkshire great’s three gutsy victories.

“My horse is a model of consistency and he never runs a bad race,” said Dettori. “He’s one of those Cup horses I enjoy riding. He always gives 100 per cent and I’m expecting another good run (today).

“These races are never easy. He’s got to run two-and-a-quarter miles and it is going to be difficult. There are some good horses in the race, but he’s the one everyone has got to beat.”

After choosing to swerve tomorrow’s Irish St Leger, Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni appeared even more confident as South Yorkshire missed most of the rain to have fallen on the county.

“Two-and-a-quarter miles will suit him well and I think that the ground will be no problem – he won on good to firm at Goodwood and good going at York,” said the handler. “I expect him to be there or thereabouts once again.”

However, Michael Bell is hopeful Tactician can cope with the step up in class as Eddie Ahern dons Her Majesty’s famous silks.

The Queen’s stayer has already made giant strides this term and only went down by a length to Moyenne Corniche after making most of the running in the Ebor at York last month.

However, he has an extra half-mile to travel this time and is stepping up to Group Two company.

“It’s obviously a big step up in class and trip, but the horse looks as though he will stay and every run this year he has improved,” said Bell. “With a little bit more improvement it will put him in the mix.”

Flying the flag for Yorkshire is Blue Bajan who appeared not to act on the ground when well beaten by Opinion Poll in the Lonsdale Cup. That was a rare blip for David O’Meara’s nine-year-old, who has shown smart form, particularly when lifting the Henry II Stakes at Sandown in May.

“Maybe he didn’t quite handle the ground at York. A lot of people complained about it afterwards,” said O’Meara. “Hopefully, conditions will be okay for him at Doncaster. The quicker the better.”

As for yesterday’s action, Meeznah (5-2) bounced back to her best with a smooth win in the DFS Park Hill Stakes under Dettori – with Her Majesty’s Set To Music beaten three-and-a-half lengths at the line, with Polly’s Mark third.

“She was a bit flat at Newbury, but she ran a track record time at Goodwood before that, so it took a lot out of her,” said the winning jockey. “(Yesterday) she was always travelling like a winner and I never saw anybody else.”

Earlier Set The Music’s jockey, Jamie Spencer, had won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Carrie Red Fillies’ Nursery for David Elsworth, the man who guided the careers of Desert Orchid and Persian Punch with the latter winning the 2003 Doncaster Cup.

Meanwhile Joseph O’Brien’s star stays in the ascendancy and he landed a valuable pot for his trainer father Aidan as Reply made the most of a significant drop in class to claim the Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes.

Always handy behind Bogart and Top Cop under his teenage pilot, the 20-1 chance picked up well and galloped right to the line, eventually beating Factory Time by half-a-length.