Dettori fizzes in on his favourite course

FRANKIE DETTORI added his customary fizz to the opening day of Royal Ascot notching a sparkling treble with all three winners trained by John Gosden.

His glorious day started with the impressive Calyx in the Coventry Stakes and he made it a double when Without Parole took no prisoners in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

The triple was sealed when Monarchs Glen lorded it over his 15 rivals in the Listed Wolverton Stakes – the final race on the card.

And he got a royal seal of approval, too, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex presented him with the prize after the success of Without Parole in the feature race of the day.

Calyx started the Dettori-Gosden ball rolling when he stormed to a brilliant victory in the Coventry.

The colt did it the hard way by racing on his own on the stands’ rail after taking over from front-running Cosmic Law.

He pulled six lengths clear of his nearside rivals, but the dangers were on the far side and he held the late challenge of Martyn Meade’s Advertise and Aidan O’Brien’s Sergei Prokofiev.

Calyx was a first winner for first season sire Kingman when making a successful debut at Newmarket 11 days ago and gave John Gosden a 44th Royal Ascot success.

The trainer said: “Calyx is full of himself, a bit like the jockey! I was very impressed he could take up the running so far out and hold on as nothing was left on his side of the course. I think racing on the stands’ side is a disadvantage.

“The high draw may not be the best and he’s had to race on his own for two furlongs with a huge crowd screaming.

“That’s a big ordeal for him and I think he’s done amazingly well to win. I’d love to give him a nice holiday now and come back for the Prix Morny.” Asked if any horse had excited him as much at this stage of his career, Gosden said: “We have won the Queen Mary and the Coventry before, but this boy really makes you get up in the morning.”

Gosden also revealed why Dettori did not ride Calyx at Newmarket.

He added: “I don’t put Frankie on two-year-olds first time out before Ascot. I did it to him at Yarmouth last year and the filly [Tivoli] dumped him in the paddock and he missed the whole of the meeting.”

Calyx was made a warm ante-post favourite for next year’s

2,000 Guineas with Paddy Power cutting him from

16-1 to 5-1.

Dettori said: “I thought it was an amazing performance on only his second start. The way he put the race to bed was pretty special. He has beautiful raw talent and is very exciting.”

Without Parole was the middle leg of Dettori’s treble in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

He may not quite have the engine of his father Frankel but he remains unbeaten after a gutsy performance on only his fourth career start. KISS OF JOY: Dettori wins

The three-year-old laid down a marker to become the season’s champion miler.

Heavily backed into 9-4 favourite just before the off, Without Parole reeled in early leader US Navy Flag, who set a ferocious pace before repelling the late lunge of Gustav Klimt.

Gosden said: “You could see on the bend that our fella was green and lost. It was a brave performance. He had to commit early and the horse would have learned a lot.”

Sting

The victory was also extra special for owner-breeders John and Tanya Gunther, who bred US Triple Crown winner Justify. Whereas they sold Justify, they chose to hang on to Without Parole despite the bidding reaching 650,000 guineas.

Tanya said: “Frankie had a plan. The plan was to win and he did it!”

There was a sting in the tail when Dettori was suspended for seven days and fined £4,300 for using his whip above the permitted level from two furlongs out.

Monarchs Glen rounded off a superb afternoon for Dettori on his favourite course when landing the closing race – the Listed Wolferton Stakes.

Willie Mullins, 12 times champion Irish jumps trainer, had the 1-3-4-5 in the Ascot Stakes with Lagostovegas, ridden by Andrea Atzeni, getting home in front.

Lagostovegas, who was hooded for the first time, won by a length from Dubawi Fifty, who made a brave attempt to make all, with the winner’s stablemates Stratum, Chelkar and Whiskey Sour filling the next three places.

The 10-1 winner had finished third in last season’s Cesarewitch.