ROYAL ASCOT’S BIG THREE
Dettori retains title as Royal Ascot’s top jockey with stunning 150-1 treble
SUPER Saturday at Royal Ascot turned into the Frankie Dettori show as he landed a 150-1 treble which lit up the behind-closed doors meeting and momentarily had the bookmakers quaking again.
Victori es on Wesley Ward’s Campanelle in the Queen Mary Stakes and John Gosden-trained Palace Pier in the St James’s Palace came either side of Dettori’s first ever victory in the Coronation Stakes on impressive Alpine Star.
Success on the Jessica Harrington-trained filly, who emulated the 2018 win in the race of her half-sister Alpha Centauri with a four-and-a-quarter length win from US raider Sharing, filled a rare omission in Dettori’s roll of honour and he has now won every Group One race at the royal meeting.
Dettori’s final day glut of winners took his tally for the week to six and moved him level with the late Pat Eddery on 73 career royal meeting winners. Only Lester Piggott, with 116, has ridden more.
Dettori, 49, also grabbed the top jockey title for the second year running and seventh time in total by virtue of riding four second places compared to the single runner-up berth secured by Jim Crowley, the other jockey to ride six winners at the fixture.
Dettori said: ‘ After 30 years, I have now won all the Group One races at the meeting and I can now say I have really conquered Royal Ascot. 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.’
Having put the bookmakers on the rack, Dettori threatened to turn t he screw even further when hitting the front in the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes on 2- 1 favourite Sceptical.
If he had won the bookmakers would have again been staring down the barrel of another massive pay-out. But the gelding, trained in
Ireland by Denis Hogan, could not hold on, fading into third, as Kevin Ryan- t rained Hello Youmzain clawed his way back to the front to give his jockey Kevin Stott his first-ever winner at the meeting.
Dettori’s wins this week have included Stradivarius for a third time in the Gold Cup and the Ribblesdale Stakes on Frankly Darling, who is now a big hope for next month’s Investec Oaks.
But the horse who might be destined to play a more pivotal role in his season is Palace Pier.
The unbeaten 4- 1 shot had his two-year-old career cut short by a tibia injury and Gosden opted to give him his seasonal debut in a Newcastle handicap rather than throw him straight into the 2,000 Guineas. But the son of Kingman was mightily impressive as he cut down Pinatubo and Wichita — the placed horses in the 2,000 Guineas — with authority.
With Andrew Balding- t rained 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko seemingly on course for the Investec Derby, Palace Pier could have the major mile prizes at his mercy.
Gosden, the meeting’s top trainer with six wins, added: ‘It would have been madness to put a horse into a 2,000 Guineas with no experience of that kind of level of competition. This is no fluke. He is a really talented horse.’
Pinatubo, who carried such high hopes coming into the season, had again to settle for place money.
The William Buick- ridden colt will be aimed at the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood with trainer Charlie Appleby hoping the less demanding track will suit his colt.
Dettori did not have the stage entirely to himself, thanks to Stott.
The Danish-born jockey, 25, who had trials for Tottenham as a youngster, was pinching himself to check he wasn’t dreaming when, 35 minutes after the victory of Hello Youmzain, he landed the Wokingham
Stakes on Ryan-trained 18-1 chance Hey Jonesy.
The winner had only beaten one of the 23 runners home in Tuesday’s Buckingham Palace Stakes. By Marcus Townend FRANKIE’S FLYING