Dettori future in jeopardy after Gosden fallout

FRANkIE DETTORI’S future as a jockey was unclear last night amid growing speculation that his link with the powerful Gosden stable is over. Dettori’s performance at Royal Ascot, especially his ride on the beaten Stradivarius in the Gold Cup, was criticised by trainer John Gosden. And significantly, after a short break in Italy, 51-year-old Dettori has not been booked to ride any of the three Gosden-trained runners at Newmarket tomorrow, despite having another ride at the meeting. There was no comment from the Gosden stable but Peter Burrell, Dettori’s agent, said: ‘Frankie called the (Gosden) office this morning to find out what he may or may not be riding with a viewpoint to the weights. ‘He has had no call in response and we have seen other jockeys are riding the horses. We’ve been told nothing else.’ That suggests a breakdown in communication between some of the most powerful figures in British Flat racing. Tensions in the partnership had been apparent as Dettori endured a torrid Royal Ascot on the Gosdentrained runners, with the trainer asking Dettori immediately after the Gold Cup why he had got so far back in the field on Stradivarius and the colt’s owner Bjorn Nielsen said: ‘You can’t blame the horse.’ The following day, Gosden was again asked about the Stradivarius ride and said: ‘Our hero overcomplicated it and I was clear in my definition of that.’ Two of Gosden-trained runners at Newmarket — Stowell and Sunray Major — will be ridden by Rab Havlin and James Doyle respectively.