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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Frankie Dettori enjoys round of golf at Irish course after final Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe preparations in Germany

Frankie Dettori enjoyed a round of golf at County Louth Golf Club in Baltray on Tuesday afternoon after riding a piece of work on last year's Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso.

The Italian jockey travelled to Germany from his Newmarket base earlier this week to ride the five-year-old in a final piece of work ahead of him trying to retain his Arc title this weekend.

Dettori then jetted into Ireland to take part in a charity golf day in Baltray ahead of Wednesday's Barney Curley Charity Cup at nearby Bellewstown, which sees the legendary jockey captain a team against Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins.

READ MORE: Bellewstown horse racing betting tips as Frankie Dettori returns to Meath track to face Willie Mullins

Dettori's team for the two-race challenge consists of jockeys Shane Kelly, Tom Queally, Jamie Spencer, Chris Hayes, Billy Lee, Seamus Heffernan and Siobhan Rutledge, while Mullins has Colin Keane, Rachael Blackmore, Declan McDonogh, Dylan Browne McMonagle, Wayne Lordan, Shane Foley and Robert Whearty.

The Barney Curley Charity Cup is being run in aid of Direct Aid for Africa, a charity setup by the late Curley.

Meanwhile, Torquator Tasso pleased both Dettori and trainer Marcel Weiss in his final piece of work prior to Sunday's race.

The horse has been the long-term mount of Rene Piechulek, who steered him to victory last year but is retained by the owner of ParisLongchamp rival Mendocino, who is, incidentally, trained by his partner Sarah Steinberg.

Those allegiances left the door open for Dettori, who rode the five-year-old for the first time when coming home second behind the aforementioned horse in the Grosser Preis von Baden earlier in the month.

Ahead of Sunday’s contest, the duo joined forces for a final pre-race workout, with Weiss reporting the chestnut to be in the same vein of form as he was prior to last year’s victory.

“It went really, really well,” he said.

“There was a symbiosis between the jockey and the horse, they were in harmony.

“It was very important that Frankie came. I wanted, as well as the owners, him to ride the horse on a track that’s right-handed because he’s definitely a different horse on a right-handed track than a left-handed track.

“Immediately after Baden-Baden the decision was made that Frankie would ride him in the Arc, Frankie agreed to that and we kept our word.

“Judging by the work he did, he goes into the race in the same form he did last year.”

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