Dettori in injury scare as Royal Ascot looms
FRANKIE Dettori has suffered an injury scare just a week before Royal Ascot after falling before the opening race at Yarmouth.
The 46-year-old Italian was reported to be in “good spirits” after he was stood down for the day following an incident in the parade ring.
Dettori was getting the legup on Tivoli, but the John Gosden-trained favourite for the six-furlong fillies’ maiden appeared to be spooked and unshipped the jockey.
Tivoli was withdrawn and Dettori, who appeared to be holding his left shoulder following the incident, did not take up his only other mount aboard Falak in the following race.
Yarmouth clerk of the course Richard Aldous said: “The doctors have told me they have looked at him and how he is and they are happy for him to go home.”
Dettori, the most successful Royal Ascot jockey currently riding with 56 winners, has two booked rides at Kempton this evening and four at Newbury tomorrow, but his manager Peter Burrell said he may not ride again until Ascot.
“We believe it is a soft tissue injury,” Burrell said.
“It’s being ice-packed and it is one of those things which might get a bit sorer before it starts getting better.
“I can’t see him riding this side of the weekend and he had nothing booked for Monday anyway. I’d say it is 90 per cent certain he won’t ride again before Ascot.”
Dettori’s agent Ray Cochrane said he had spoken to Frankie and he was in good spirits.
“He’s OK but his arm is very sore, he took quite a nasty fall,” he said. “He has seen the physio to give it a bit of manipulation and we’ve just got to see how it is in the morning.
“There are no breaks or anything like that but the physio expects him to be very sore in the morning, so we’ve just got to be careful, but otherwise he’s in good form and he’ll be OK.”
Dettori was due to be at Ascot this morning to put several of American trainer Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot hopefuls through their paces.
Dettori was also set to ride Shutter Speed for Gosden in the Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly on Sunday.