Star jockey Frankie Dettori has been defended by ITV presenter Rishi Persad after the Italian missed out on three race wins at Royal Ascot on Thursday.
Dettori and racer Reach For The Moon, owned by passionate racing fan the Queen, missed out on a win in the Hampton Court Stakes despite being the favourite. It completed a miserable afternoon for Dettori, who also suffered a defeat aboard Stradivarius, one of the most popular horses in training, in the Gold Cup.
Reach For The Moon was considered a potential Derby contender early in his career and was backed as a near-certainty at 2/5 against just five opponents. Dettori moved up to challenge leader Claymore at the top of the home straight and briefly drew level, but the run faded and jockey Adam Kirby led his horse to victory by nearly two lengths.
