Frankie Dettori looks forward to Royal Ascot
Jockey Frankie Dettori has been talking about how much the Royal Ascot meeting means to him and how he is doing everything in his power to avoid a repeat of this time last year when he missed out on what he called racing's Olympics through injury.
"It was a year ago today that I broke my shoulder and it was awful," he said. "To me, Ascot is everything and to injure myself four days' before it last year's Royal Ascot was very hard to take. At the moment, I am covering myself up in bubble wrap and hope I can get there on Tuesday! I have three rides before then - two on Saturday and one on Sunday."
Newmarket-based Dettori, the most successful current jockey at Royal Ascot with 56 winners, has an enviable book of rides next week headed by the John Gosden-trained Cracksman, currently a warm order for the £750,000 Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, "Cracksman is fine. I rode him yesterday (Wednesday) and he is good," he said. Referring to his head victory in the Coronation Cup at Epsom earlier this month, Dettori said: ""He doesn't like Epsom and struggles to run downhill. He likes Ascot and I hope the same beast turns up that won the Champion Stakes and then we would have some fun."
Dettori will also partners the exciting Without Parole, like Cracksman trained by Gosden, in the St James's Palace Stakes on Tuesday. Like his stablemate he is also a son of Frankel and is unbeaten in three starts, the latest of which was a three-quarter length success in the Listed Heron Stakes over a mile at Sandown last month. He will be tackling group company for the first time. "He will have to step up, but he is a Frankel colt and he is very exciting," said Dettori. "Without Parole went into the race at Sandown following a short lay-off after a bruised foot and he was a little bit rusty that day. Looking at the entries, it looks an excellent St James's Palace with Romanised, U S Navy Flag, Wootton and others." Without Parole is owned and bred by John Gunther,and his daughter ,Tanya, who have enjoyed big-race success in recent days having bred American Triple Crown hero Justify.
Dettori will also be partnering Australian superstar Redkirk Warrior, the latest horse from Down Under to contest one of the Group 1 sprints at the Royal meeting who is set to run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday, the final day of the meeting.
The seven-year-old son of Notnowcato began his career in Newmarket with William Haggas winning both of his starts as a three-year-old over 10 furlongs, before being sold to race in Hong Kong, where after five runs he was retired due to foot problems. The owners sent him to David Hayes' Lindsay Park Racing Stables in Victoria, Australia, to see if his racing career could be revived and, after extensive treatment to his feet, Redkirk Warrior found a new lease of life.
He has been in stellar form of late, winning the G1 Black Caviar Lightning (5f) and the G1 Lexus Newmarket Handicap (6f) at Flemington on his two most recent starts. Stabled in the same box at Newmarket's Abington Place stables as Aussie superstar Black Caviar occupied before she won the 2012 renewal of the Diamond Jubilee, Redkirk Warrior's connections believe they have a live chance of landing the £600,000 prize.
Ben Hayes, joint-trainer along with his father David and cousin Tom Dabernig , said today: "We've been really happy with Redkirk Warrior since he arrived in Britain. He's settled in well and taken everything in his stride - he's in good order.
"Redkirk Warrior is coming off two G1 wins and he is excellent on straight courses. He has won four of his races on straight courses and he has great credentials.
"Coming to Royal Ascot with him has always been in the back of our minds, but not necessarily a plan. When he won in the Newmarket off top-weight, the Diamond Jubilee became on option for us and one in which we could freshen him up and bring him over, so it appealed to us."
From a speedster to a stayer, Dettori is also looking forward to partnering Stradivarius for John Gosden in the Ascot Gold Cup. "He is a bonny little horse and likes fast ground. The Gold Cup is unique as it is two and a half miles. We know Stradivarius stays two miles, but another half a mile is a long way. Order Of St George is a great champion and is going to be a tough nut to crack.
"John Gosden will have a big team. We are all thinking we have a great book of rides, but it is very hard to win at Ascot and you can't take anything for granted. I am very excited and am going to enjoy it," said Dettori.
