FRANKIE HITS ’EM FOR

FRANKIE DETTORI called the Ladies’ Day tune on Stradivarius to win the Gold Cup for a sixth time.

The John Gosdentrained four-year-old, tackling two and a half miles for the first time, stayed strong in the finish to beat French challenger Vazirabad by threequarters of a length.

Dettori, 47, winning his 60th race at Royal Ascot, beamed: “I could see this grey head (Vazirabad). He managed to get within a neck but he couldn’t get past me. My horse was as brave as a lion today.

“The crowd then got behind him. It was mental and I was loving it.

“The Gold Cup is the showcase of the week and to win it again, and in that manner, was thrilling.

“I wanted to time it right, and at the end he took off. That’s what the public want to see, and that’s what they got.”

Gosden, landing his first Gold Cup, added: “It’s lovely to win it and it was an stunningly good race — what an exciting finish.

“I thought two and a half miles might be beyond him, but he got it well through a lot of grit and determination.”