Frankie Dettori will head into his final afternoon at Royal Ascot with a chance to finish the week as the leading rider after moving to four for the meeting with a 41-1 double on Friday’s card aboard Porta Fortuna, in the Albany Stakes, and Coppice, in the Sandringham Handicap.
The winners were Dettori’s 80th and 81st at Royal Ascot and left him just one behind Ryan Moore, who won the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap on Okita Soushi, in the race for the jockeys’ award. Moore, though, has had more second-place finishes than Dettori and is likely to take the prize on countback if the two riders finish level. Dettori executed similar rides on his two winners, hitting the front around a furlong out and grabbing an advantage which he maintained all the way to the line.
“Eighty winners at Royal Ascot, unbelievable,” Dettori said after his win on Porta Fortuna. “I’ve fulfilled my dream. Ascot has always been special to me, I love it so much, and to reach 80 winners is incredible.
“One hundred percent I wanted to get to the 80 winners [at the start of the meeting]. I thought: ‘God, I’ve got to get three more,’ but it is easier said than done. Now I have done it. Yes! It is a big number!”
The success was also significant for Porta Fortuna’s trainer, Donnacha O’Brien, as it was the first at the royal meeting for the youngest son of Aidan O’Brien, who took over as the most successful trainer of all time at Royal Ascot earlier in the week.
His victory came around an hour before his brother, Joseph, saddled Okita Soushi to give Moore his only winner on the day.
Ayr
1.15 Nighteyes 1.50 Showalong 2.24 Run Cmc 2.59 Kihavah 3.34 Nymphadora 4.14 Novak 4.54 Jkr Cobbler
Newmarket
1.32 Ancient Wisdom 2.07 Sophia’s Starlight 2.42 Imperial Emperor 3.17 Single 3.52 Wilde And Dandy 4.32 Cubanista 5.09 The Green Man
Redcar
1.37 Brave Empire 2.12 Pound Off You 2.47 Hidden Code 3.22 Mudamer 4.02 Lakota Blue 4.38 Rooska 5.13 Oneforsue
Perth
1.42 Chasing Chances 2.17 Petrastar 2.52 Gamigin 3.27 Captain Ivan 4.07 Definite Plan 4.42 Garde Des Champs 5.17 Pammi
Royal Ascot
2.30 La Guarida 3.05 Enfjaar 3.40 Highfield Princess 4.20 Hukum 5.00 Apollo One (nap) 5.35 Lion Of War (nb) 6.10 Run For Oscar
Lingfield Park
5.50 Outrace 6.20 Later Darling 6.50 Dovena 7.20 Drink Dry 7.50 Intoxicata 8.20 Swiss Star 8.50 Addie Boo Boo
Haydock Park
6.00 Chronograph 6.35 May Blossom 7.10 Gray’s Inn 7.40 Aqwaam 8.10 Pearl Eye 8.40 Young Fire
Coppice, who completed Dettori’s double, was seen as a potential Classic contender earlier in the year according to her rider.
“We thought she was a Guineas filly but she didn’t come to hand soon enough,” Dettori said. “We thought she would be very competitive [in a handicap] and she was.
“This week has been unbelievable, I won my first Gold Cup in 1992 and another one yesterday, my ninth. And we’ve still got tomorrow to come.”
