Frankie Dettori took “great satisfaction” from kicking off his 2025 Dubai World Cup night in style after Raging Torrent eased to victory in the Godolphin Mile.
The meeting’s most successful jockey notched his record-extending eighth success in this race on board American trainer Doug O’Neill’s colt after a dominant display from the talented four-year-old.
Raging Torrent, who went off as favourite despite a 100-day break, initially sat behind Bhupat Seemar’s Mufasa but once the pair completed the first turn, O’Neill’s charge showed a tremendous turn of foot to burst clear.
He stretched his lead in the closing stages to complete a three-and-a-half-length success, with the strong-finishing pair King Gold and Kazu Petrin coming home in second and third respectively.
Dettori, who partnered Raging Torrent for the first time when taking the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Boxing Day, said: “I landed a Group One on him, he’s super tough and he’s been sprinting but he’s been racing behind the bridle.
“As soon as I got off the horse last time, the plan was to come here. With his temperament, I hoped he would get the mile.
“He’s a beautiful, kind horse, he jumped a little bit sideways but got to the front nicely and was soon in his own rhythm.
“Even if the revs were coming down at the end, the one I had to beat was next to me.
“It was a fairytale from beginning to end. I worked for Godolphin for 18 years and it’s my eighth Godolphin Mile.
“Eight Godolphin Miles, that’s a hell of a record! Equal World Cup winner (with four victories), so maybe I can say I grew up here – great satisfaction.”