FRANKLY AMAZING
Dettori’s three victories make it a full house of Group 1 wins at Royal Ascot
The world’s most famous jockey capped the final day of a behind-closeddoors Royal Ascot with a 150/1 treble that saw him break new ground and clinch the meeting’s top rider award for the seventh time.
Any more of this and the bookies will pull down the bronze effigy and throw it in Virginia Water.
Dettori, who celebrates his 50th birthday in December, started the afternoon on the threewinner mark for the week – three adrift of Jim Crowley.
But he began his work for the day with a victory aboard Campanelle – a first at Royal Ascot 2020 for Kentucky trainer Wesley Ward – in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.
Irresistible momentum took Dettori to success aboard Alpine Star for Jessica Harrington in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes, and Palace Pier, saddled by his boss John Gosden, in the top level St James’s Palace Stakes.
“It’s been an unbelievable day and an unbelievable Royal Ascot,” said Dettori, who took the jockeys’ title on placings and ended the afternoon level with the late Pat Eddery on 73 Royal Ascot wins in his career.
Dettori said: “I sat next to Pat for 15 years – he was one of my heroes. I used to nickname him ‘God’ and to equal him gives me great satisfaction. God bless him.”
Dettori’s win on Alpine Star was his first success in the Group 1 fillies’ test after 30 years of trying, completing his set of top-grade triumphs at this meeting. Jessica Harrington, the Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer who saddled Alpine Star’s half-sister Alpha Centauri to lift the Coronation Stakes in 2018, said: “She’s not big and is a bit of a mealy chestnut.
“If you saw her trotting around in the string, you wouldn’t pick her out. But she has a wonderful attitude.”
Palace Pier’s leap from a Newcastle handicap win to beat champion two-year-old Pinatubo in the St James’s
Palace Stakes sealed the trainer award for Gosden, who said: “Newcastle was the perfect race to tee him up. It is no fluke.”
Dettori rode 2/1 favourite Sceptical in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes but finished third to the Kevin Ryantrained Hello Youmzain, who was giving jockey Kevin Stott, 25, a first Group 1.
Stott doubled his career Royal Ascot tally aboard Ryan’s 18/1 Hey Jonesy in the Wokingham Handicap.