It was a tale of the two Kings at Royal Ascot, one whose reign has just begun and one whose time on the throne is soon to be over. King Charles won his first Royal Ascot race as an owner as Desert Hero powered to victory.
And then ‘King Frankie’ claimed the biggest prize of the meeting, snatching the feature race from more fancied rivals as the unexposed and promising John Gosden trained Courage Mon Ami scorched to victory in the Gold Cup. Frankie Dettori - who retires in October - had promised tears this week and they arrived early, his ninth success in the stayers' showpiece - a race he won three times on the legendary Stradivarius - and a 79th career Royal Ascot triumph.
Knowing when to exit the stage is the hardest skill for even the greatest showman and Dettori is riding better than ever, banking big prize after big prize in recent weeks. Etiquette be damned, he even stole a kiss from the Queen and then proceeded to toss around the priceless trophy in front of photographers like a football.
