Air Force to miss Leopardstown

RACING DIGEST: AIR FORCE ONE will bypass the rescheduled Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday and go straight to Cheltenham.

The seven-year-old would have taken his chance at the Foxrock track had the race been run as planned last weekend, but his trainer Charlie Mann has now scrapped the idea.

With the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup less than four weeks after the Hennessy and the horse having missed work because of the bad weather, Mann has decided to save his stable star for next month’s blue riband.

“He’s not going to run, he’s missed two bits of work. I’ve been on the gallop trying to move some snow,” said the Upper Lambourn-based handler. Even so, Air Force One is a top-priced 33 to 1 for the Gold Cup on March 13th.

FRANKIE DETTORI was in top form at the Dubai Carnival yet again as he booted home four winners at Nad Al Sheba.

The undoubted highlight was the victory of Desert Party in the UAE 2,000 Guineas, with the Street Cry colt looking a potentially top-class performer.

A Grade Two winner in America at two, he was successful on his UAE debut last month and was given a typically cool Dettori ride in this Group Three event. Racing in mid-division he picked up very smoothly just off the pace in the straight and readily came home in front of stablemate Regal Ransom and Redding Colliery.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “We were expecting a big run and he is a nice horse. The UAE Derby is the obvious target but we will have to see how he is and we have a few other options to consider.”