IT is rare that Frankie Dettori isn’t in the mix for “jockey of the season” but it’s been so unequivocal this year that his successes are hard to keep track of. Star Catcher’s victory in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday was Dettori’s eighth Group 1 in only two months and, if the sectionals are anything to go by, he made all the difference.

Despite the stiffness of the track, the curiosity of the Curragh is that it favours front-runners.

Therefore, as a neutral observer, I was stunned to see Frankie be gifted what was a completely unharried lead on the front-end.

Ballydoyle are the best operators in the game and a big part of that is ensuring that the conditions of the race – most notably the pace – favour their nominated charge. A rare blemish on their part, with Star Catcher setting pedestrian fractions with a finishing speed of 112.3%.

Par for the Curragh is around 105% so untroubled on the front-end was the place to be and Frankie delivered.

That’s not to say Star Catcher wasn’t a worthy winner – she was – and even the most pessimistic view of her performance would suggest that she was the second best horse in the race.

Simon Rowlands suggested as much with second-placed Fleeting receiving a 23 sectional upgrade based on her finishing speeds, the winner receiving “only” a 17 bump using the same methodology. Timeform’s adjusted ratings were somewhat more deferential to the winner with Star Catcher on 115 and Fleeting on 114.

The Ryan Moore-ridden favourite, Pink Dogwood (107), was in an even more inopportune position than Fleeting and she too has to receive an upgrade: Simon thought a boost of 18. She moved into the race looking threatening but her effort rather petered out and my visual impression was she’ll benefit for a drop in trip.