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A Live Chance to Crown Botti’s Rise

DUBAI — When the horses are in the parade ring before the World Cup, look out for the young dark-haired gentleman alongside jockey Kieren Fallon on Gitano Hernando.

If you conclude “that’s the lad who looks after the horse” – shame on you! However, such a deduction will be understandable. For the record, that fresh Latin visage will belong to his fast-rising trainer, Marco Botti, 33.

Newmarket-based Marco is the son of Alduino Botti, one half of the Italy’s perennial champion training partnership with brother Giuseppe. The winner of some 380 races in the saddle, Botti Jr. set his heart on training early in his 20s and picked up experience working for his father and uncle for three years in between a six month stint with Godolphin in Dubai and turns with Ed Dunlop, Luca Cumani in England and Bill Mott in America.

He took out his own licence to train in England in 2006 and having improved his winning tally each season, he now finds himself with a genuine contender in the richest race ever staged.

Naturally enough he’s pinching himself at the magnitude of it all happening so soon and to one so young - but he’s not complaining either. “I always hoped I could have a runner in a race like this one day and out of the blue Gitano Hernando, a really special horse, came along and here we are.”