Frankie says ... relax
We had to wait till near the end of day two but it was definitely worth the wait for the first winner at this meeting from Frankie Dettori who is, and you may not have read this anywhere, riding at his final Royal Ascot. From the moment I first saw the Italian live – at an ordinary Saturday night fixture at Ripon races in the late 1980s when I was told to watch out for him and also that he already knew he was very good – he has been a highlight of the racing scene. It is no exaggeration to say that along with Lester Piggott, and John McCririck he has been one of the very few racing personalities to make the crossover and become well known outside the sport itself. Racing is going to miss him – his infectious enthusiasm and his genuine outstanding talent – when he quits the saddle at the end of the year. Matt Chapman, the ITV Racing presenter, told him after his victory today that trainer John Gosden had said after the race that “Gregory is going to be my Gold Cup horse and I want Frankie to be riding him.” Dettori told Chapman not to joke about it. It’s clear this mercurial character is going to miss race-riding as much as we are going to miss seeing him.
Windsor Castle Stakes (6.10pm) result
1 Big Evs 20-1
2 Johannes Brahms 10-3 f
3 Inquisitively 18-1
Updated
