DETT OF ‘Even without crowds, it’s still going to be tremendous,’ claims Frankie

HE became the world’s most famous jockey through his art of riding horses and working a crowd.

This week, Frankie Dettori must make do with riding the horses.

“Royal Ascot behind closed doors is going to be a very different experience,” reflects the Italian, who has gloried in the winner’s homecoming to the meeting’s packed stands no fewer than 67 times.

“But we’ve got to play the hand of cards we’ve been dealt. There has been so much suffering around the world because of the coronavirus that we should be glad we are racing at all.

“It’s still going to be tremendous – even with no crowd.”

It is three decades this week since a 19-year-old Dettori had the first kiss of an enduring love affair when the Luca Cumanitrained Markofdistinction won the Queen Anne

Stakes.

As befits the horse who did so much to launch the young jockey’s stellar career, there is a clip of the horse’s tail in the Dettori family home.

“He was my first Listed winner, my first Group 2, my first Royal Ascot winner and my first

Group 1,” recalls Dettori.

“All the firsts were down to Markofdistinction – what an incredible horse. I can’t believe it’s 30 years since that happened. Half – actually, more than half – the boys in the weighing room weren’t even born the day Markofdistinction won.

“It’s been the most unbelievable journey and we’ve still got a few stops to go yet.

“Lester [Piggott] rode until he was 59, so I’m still a young pup!”

Dettori reaches 50 in December, but returns to his favourite fixture on the back of a glittering sevenstrong haul 12 months ago.

The treasure trove included the first four winners of Ladies’ Day and secured a sixth award – Dettori’s first since 2004 – for the top jockey over the five days.

The bookies breathed a sigh of relief when his mount Turgenev was cut down by 28-1 shot Biometric for the Britannia Handicap and Dettori remembers: “That was my best Royal Ascot to date. Ladies’ Day is always special and to win the first four of six races on the card was incredible.”

Stradivarius won his second Gold Cup – and his rider’s seventh – that day and is the odds-on favourite to complete the hat-trick on Thursday.

The John Gosden-trained six-year-old, the dominant force of the staying division for the past two seasons, returned with a third to Ghaiyyath in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Newmarket 11 days ago.

“It’s like running Mo Farah against Usain Bolt – it’s not fair!” protests Dettori. “I thought it was a good effort. He’s a two-mile-plus horse and now you’re expecting him to drop back a mile in trip. I was pleased with him.”

The remodelled Royal Ascot 2020 hosts 36 races, and Sporting Index make Dettori x-x to claim a seventh title.

Gosden’s pair Daarik (Buckingham Palace Handicap) and Frankly Darling (Ribblesdale Stakes) head the market for their races today, while Godolphin’s Terebellum is rated the chief threat to Circus Maximus in the Queen Anne Stakes.

As the week goes on, Wesley Ward raider Sunshine City (Windsor Castle Stakes) and the Mark Johnston-saddled Eye Of Heaven (Norfolk Stakes) are fancied two-year-olds, while Sceptical is favourite for Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

“There are six races more than usual, so I’ve got no excuse!” laughs Dettori. “But, to be serious, you never take anything for granted as the racing is so competitive.

“I can’t wait for it to start. There’s always such a buzz about the place. It’s hard to imagine what it’s going to be like before you get there because the people are such a huge part of the occasion.”