Frankie Dettori bows out in style after reaching 81 Royal Ascot wins
MARCUS TOWNEND: Frankie Dettori bows out in style after reaching 81 Royal Ascot wins, King Charles receives an enthusiastic welcome and Qatari money continues to make its presence felt
- Frankie Dettori called time on his legendary career after notching 81st Ascot win
- On Courage Mon Ami 52-year-old secured the ninth Gold Cup win of his career
- Hollie Doyle shined with win on Saint Lawrence in Saturday’s Wokingham Stakes
The Royal Ascot regularly produces some of the most exciting moments of the racing calendar and this year’s edition was no exception.
In the first event since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, attendees greeted the royal procession of King Charles and Queen Camilla with an increasingly enthusiastic reception as the week went on.
Racing royalty was also on show as Frankie Dettori bowed out of the sport in style, with the highlight coming as the 52-year-old secured his ninth career victory in the Gold Cup to take his tally to 81 Royal Ascot wins.
As one legendary career came to an end, burgeoning jockey’s hoping to emulate Dettori’s success were out in force, with 22-year-old Irishman Rossa Ryan’s two victories demonstrated a potential to go to great things.
Racing Correspondent MARCUS TOWNEND reflects on a week which centred around an emotional farewell….
Frankie Dettori called time on his legendary career after finishing with 81 wins at Ascot
DETTORI’S DREAM
As expected the five days were all about one man. Frankie Dettori was the headline act and while his final day was a bit of a damp squib the meeting went as well as he could have dreamed.
Four winners across the week took him to and beyond the career target of 80 he had privately set himself and there was clear pride in the 81 successes he finished with, second only to the great Lester Piggott’s 116 Royal Ascot wins.
The Gold Cup win on Courage Mon Ami — Dettori’s ninth in the race — was the icing on the cake. You sensed that out of all the ‘last appearance at’ moments Dettori has gone through so far, this one affected him the most.
The 52-year-old enjoyed a dream finish as he secured the ninth Gold Cup win of his career
MODEL PROFESSIONAL
Ryan Moore showed why he is one of the world’s best jockeys. He was the meeting’s leading jockey for a 10th time with six wins. He rode in all 35 races and he was in the first three 16 times. Yes, Moore rides the best horses a lot of the time but he does so for a reason — his performance level is consistently excellent.
GOOD WEEK FOR…
Hollie Doyle, whose three wins included Saint Lawrence in Saturday’s Wokingham Stakes, and Newmarket trainer Tom Clover and Harry Eustace.
Clover’s win with Rogue Millennium in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes was a deserved breakthrough big-stage win after a few near-misses, while Eustace’s Britannia Stakes victory with Docklands means he has now had winners at the last two royal meetings.
Hollie Doyle shined with three wins, including Saint Lawrence in Saturday’s Wokingham Stakes
BAD WEEK FOR…
Charlie Appleby’s powerful Godolphin stable. Three third places from 18 runners was the haul from the trainer who left with four winners last year.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WINNER
Big Evs stormed to victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes for trainer Mick Appleby and jockey Jason Hart while Mostahdaf’s four-length win for John and Thady Gosden in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes was a real stunner.
ROYAL APPROVAL
There were fears that when Queen Elizabeth II died, the royal patronage of racing might have been at risk but that has been put to bed now.
King Charles and Queen Camilla attended every day of the meeting and looked to genuinely enjoy it. While the crowd response to the royal procession initially did not match that afforded to the late Queen, the decibel levels increased as the week went on and were most enthusiastic when the royal silks were carried to victory by Desert Hero in the King George V Handicap.
King Charles and Queen Camilla received a warm welcome from the racegoers at Ascot
THE RYAN EXPRESS
It is easy to forget that Rossa Ryan is still only 22. His career has had bumps in the road but his results over the four days he rode at the royal meeting showed why he still looks like a potential champion jockey.
He had two winners — 150-1 shot Valiant Force in the Norfolk Stakes and 22-1 chance Jimi Hendrix in the Royal Hunt Cup.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Word in the bloodstock world is that with the football World Cup now over, there is more Qatari money to throw at horseracing.
Wathan Racing, behind which is the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had recently purchased two royal-meeting winners — Gregory (Queen’s Vase) and Courage Mon Ami (Gold Cup).
There are some eye-watering sums taking European footballers to the Middle East and some British owners and breeders may be getting more offers they cannot refuse.
Qatari Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has recently purchased two royal-meeting winners
CROWDS DOWN
Crowd figures were down around four per cent. The pattern mirrors that at other big meetings. The top end is holding up well — in fact demand is outstripping supply — but the cheaper enclosures are struggling.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
Extra races were introduced to the meeting during the Covid-19 pandemic, which have now become permanent fixtures, races such as the Copper Horse Handicap and Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes. They offer extra opportunities but dilute the quality during what is supposed to be a week of elite action.
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