Source: Daily_Mail
The rise and rise of Botti and Atzeni... with a little help from Joey Barton
One was a young man steeled by a determination to step out from a famous training father's shadow, the other a teenager who hated school and ended up in racing by chance rather than destiny. [LNB]But the stars could not have conspired any better than to bring together Marco Botti, one of the rising stars of Newmarket's training ranks, and his equally talented apprentice Andrea Atzeni. [LNB]They may come from contrasting Italian backgrounds, but both possess the same hunger for success as another famous Italian pairing - Luca Cumani and a youthful Frankie Dettori - when they teamed up so effectively in the Eighties as all-conquering Italian stallions.[LNB] Enlarge Dream team: Marco Botti (right) with Andrea Atzeni and Gitano Hernando[LNB]Cumani's nurturing was instrumental in Detterir's formative years and the wily old trainer has had a big influence on Botti and Atzeni, too. [LNB]Botti had spells with Cumani, Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin operation and Ed Dunlop after arriving in England to gain experience and carved a name for himself away from the added pressures of trying to follow his father's glory trail back home.[LNB] The formidable Alduino has won Italy's trainers' title for 30-odd years so his son reasoned that the best way ahead was to pack his bags for England. He took the best advice that was on offer and on Saturday, in the glitter and razzamatazz of Dubai's Meydan racecourse, he will put it to good use hoping to outgun some of the world's best trainers, including his old boss Saeed bin Suroor, Godolphin's head handler. [LNB]There's $10million up for grabs in the feature Dubai World Cup and that Botti has a hand on a slice of the pie is testament to how the 33-year-old has stormed up the ranks in just four years on his own.[LNB]Force: Gitano Hernando[LNB]He is not making the numbers up, either, in Saturday's 14-strong field, with the bookies installing his improving four-year-old Gitano Hernando, the mount of Kieren Fallon, as 7-1 fourth favourite behind Henry Cecil's market leader Twice Over (9-2). [LNB]Many sons have come a cropper trying to emulate famous sporting dads but not Botti, who in his brief career has already achieved success that even his old man must envy despite all of his success. [LNB]While his father preferred to plunder the riches of races in his native country, Botti's is a globetrotter. He has won races throughout Europe and in Dubai and Gitano Hernando's victory in the Grade One Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita last October earned him an emphatic introduction to an American audience. [LNB]Success in Dubai will cap a meteoric rise for Botti, who concedes he has been blessed with his share of luck since going solo with the backing of a few loyal Italian owners and 15 horses in 2006. [LNB]That first season yielded nine winners, the pick of them being Sesmen's game win in the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood for Luciano Salice, a renowned Italian owner who raced the outstanding Falbrav, with whom Cumani had a lot of success. [LNB]Since then, Botti has gone from strength to strength, seeing his numbers grow to his current string of 70 with 30 staff now on his books. [LNB]Any fiscal gain that Gitano Hernando can muster in Dubai will be greatly appreciated as Botti is in the process of buying Green Ridge Stables at Newmarket off his landlord and has plans for two American barns and a new home for his wife, Lucia, and young son. He met Lucia, who is expecting their second child in August, while working for Cumani. At the moment he is renting an overspill yard in addition to the 40 boxes at Green Ridge Stables. [LNB]''When I came over it was for experience,' he said with Atzeni listening intently beside him. 'I didn't think I would definitely set up here. But right now I can tell you I made the right decision because Italian racing is not great and it's difficult to find owners there.'[LNB] Enlarge Helping hand: Joey Barton has been a regular visitor[LNB] Not so in England, where his ever expanding clientele now include footballers Joey Barton and Claudio Pizarro, the ex-Chelsea forward who is playing in Germany for Werder Bremen. [LNB]Barton, the controversial Newcastle player, has been a regular visitor these past few months while he recuperates from a long-term injury. Between them they have six horses either jointly or individually owned with Botti with Mount Juliet the latest to fly their colours successfully at Lingfield last Friday. [LNB]Barton may have a 1,000 Guineas contender in Electric Feel, who rubber-stamped her quality with a Listed win at Newbury on her last appearance and will run in the Nell Gwyn at Newmarket's Craven meeting in a few weeks to see if she has Classic potential. [LNB]'She's in the betting for the Guineas but whether she is good enough we don't know yet,' Botti said. 'She hasn't done anything wrong but she's not one of the biggest fillies.'[LNB] Pizarro has been hooked ever since tasting Listed success with the useful filly Raymi Coya two years ago. [LNB]'Joey has been coming down once a month but he's not going to have so much time on his hands now he is back training,' said Botti, who is chuffed that he has been able to improve the horses in numbers and quality each season since arriving on Newmarket's highly competitive scene. [LNB]If Botti's rise has been fast, so, too has Atzeni's. Hailing from Sardinia, his introduction to racing came by chance. His mother was a dentist and his father a farmer and it was only through a schoolmate that he was introduced to riding horses.[LNB] Net gains: Claudio Pizarro in action for Werder Bremen[LNB]' A friend of mine had a couple of horses and I used to go riding with him,' he said. ' 'When I was 10, my father bought one for me.' [LNB]He went to Milan to ride out for Botti's father for three months and then joined Botti at Newmarket two years ago, booting home an impressive 30 winners from just 250 rides in his first season. [LNB]Last year's tally was 47, including the Cesarewitch on Darley Sun, and the 19-year-old lightweight, who will lose his claim after a handful of more wins, is one of the fancies to be be champion apprentice when the new season kicks off this weekend. [LNB]'My parents are racing fans now, especially my dad,' he says. ' My mum wasn't very happy at first because she wanted me to go to school and she didn't know much about horses. But school wasn't for me, so Ileft when I was 15.' [LNB]Botti thinks Atzeni, who is riding out regularly for Cumani, can maintain his momentum after losing his claim.[LNB] 'It will be hard but there's not a lot of lightweights around, Jimmy Quinn and Hayley Turner being the two that come to mind,' he said. [LNB]For the moment, the stable's focus is on American-owned Gitano Hernando and Saturday's Dubai World Cup. [LNB]'He was quite impressive in his preparation at Lingfield (in the Winter Derby Trial) and although it wasn't a strong field, he won easily and we think he should come on for the run. This will be his toughest test.[LNB] 'Kieren (Fallon) said he felt good in his last piece of work and he was happy with him. On form, other horses like Twice Over have done more than him but he is much stronger this year and he's lightly raced, so there's still a lot of improvement. He could run a good race and If he finished in the first three that would be great.' [LNB]If he wins, Botti will feel like a $6million dollar man.[LNB] Botti to take on old employer Sheik Mohammed at World's richest raceKatie Walsh's Cheltenham heroics prove girl power is alive and well in racing [LNB]
