Frankie Dettori picks up massive Breeders’ Cup Turf and Melbourne Cup rides
The superstar Italian jockey still holds worldwide appeal after a hugely successful autumn, picking up hot rides on Ulysses in the Breeders' Cup and on Almandin in the Melbourne Cup.
FRANKIE DETTORI has picked up two superb big-race rides – 8,000 miles apart.
He will attempt to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf for a record fifth time on Ulysses in America this weekend before jetting off to ride last year’s winner Almandin in the Melbourne Cup.
It proves Dettori - fresh from Arc de Triomphe glory on Enable and a Champions’ Day Group 1 double – continues to be in huge demand around the world.
Jim Crowley rode Ulysses – trained by Sir Michael Stoute – to win the Coral-Eclipse and the Juddmonte International during the summer.
But Dettori was on board when he was fourth behind Highland Reel in the breeders’ Cup Turf 12 months ago and he has much more experience of American racing.
Alan Cooper, racing manager to Ulysses’ owners the Niarchos family, revealed it was Stoute’s decision and explained there had been no loss in faith in Crowley.
There was even better news for Dettori from Down Under when Nick Williams – joint-owner with his dad Lloyd - announced the in-form jockey would be on Almandin in Australia’s greatest race.
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The ride became available when Damien Oliver failed to overturn a ban for improper riding picked up in last weekend’s Cox Plate, won for the third time by star mare Winx.
Williams said: “Frankie is great on these European-type stayers. He understands how to take them through the gears – they’re a little different to the Australian horses.
“Frankie openly said in an interview about three months ago that if he could achieve one more thing in racing it would be to win the Melbourne Cup.
Templegate's Treble
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NEXT BEST 3.45 Catterick - Short Work: 'Remains in top form, having won his last three starts at around today's trip'
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“You’ve got a man who’s desperate to do it and dad, he and myself have had a huge association for probably 20 years. We know him well and we think he’ll give him a good ride.”
Dettori was beaten just half a length when runner-up on Max Dynamite two years ago. He looks to have a cracking chance of going one better on the 6-1 favourite for next Tuesday’s ‘race that stops a nation’.