A tale of two Kings
Well, this morning (famous last words) I told the assembled sports desk editors that today would be pretty straightforward. Frankie had ridden his winner yesterday and the Gold Cup was clearly going to be the big story of the day. Of course I had not counted on the king and queen having a winner on a horse bred by the late Queen Elizabeth in their first year inheriting her horses and that Dettori would also ride the Gold Cup winner himself.
Quite simply that was one of the greatest days in the track’s long history and my old pal Sean Magee, who wrote the official history of Ascot, is no doubt scribbling a new chapter right now. If you were there count yourselves lucky. My most memorable days at the track have been Dawn Run’s Gold Cup; Desert Orchid’s victory in the same race; Frankel’s swansong in the Champion Stakes (at Ascot of course) and Tony McCoy’s farewell at Sandown but this would have been threatening to be added to the list.
Lester Piggott was the greatest Flat jockey I’ve ever seen but Dettori has that something special and, like Lester, he has gone out of racing’s orbit and into the public consciousness. His final appearance at Ascot (indeed, his last day race-riding in Britain) on Champions Day in October is a day not to be missed.
