John and Thady Gosden will not be using Frankie Dettori at Newmarket on Saturday, amid rumours of a split after a dreadful week at Royal Ascot for the jockey. Hollie Doyle, who rode her first Classic winner when successful on the Gosden-trained Nashwa on Sunday, is favourite to take over at the yard.
There has been no official comment from the trainers or the rider but Dettori’s manager, Peter Burrell, said: “We’re in the dark and searching for answers like everybody else.” He told the Racing Post: “Frankie rang up the Gosden office this morning to discuss riding plans for the weekend, as he usually does, but didn’t get a call back. We know absolutely nothing, so we’ll have to put the jigsaw together ourselves. Whatever John and Thady have done, we’ll all have to move on with.”
Dettori, comfortably the most recognised face in racing, was reunited with Gosden’s Newmarket yard in 2015 when his career had hit the doldrums after he left the powerful Godolphin stable three years earlier. Victories aboard horses such as Enable, Stradivarius, Golden Horn and Palace Pier brought Dettori back to prominence in the sport.
The Italian, 51, whose Instagram posts this week showed him in Sardinia at his father’s, has one ride at Newmarket for a different stable at the weekend. Last year he revealed “he felt like a leper” at times before Gosden Sr rescued his career and he could now be facing up to the end of the most glittering career in the saddle of any jockey riding in Britain since the late Lester Piggott. There were no obvious signs of a rift before the royal meeting and Dettori had spoken of spending at least a few more years in the saddle when an engaging and well-received documentary on him was released in November.
But Ascot, where he has had his greatest success and sensationally rode all seven winners in 1996 on Festival of British Racing day propelling him into world news headlines, was a disaster for the rider last week.
Newmarket 1.00 Fairy Cross 1.30 Alpha Cru 2.05 Lezoo 2.40 Universal Order 3.15 Laneqash 3.50 Mimikyu 4.25 Jean Baptiste
Newcastle 1.15 The Nu Form Way 1.50 Strike Red 2.25 Glen Shiel (nb) 2.55 Raven's Ark 3.30 Valley Forge (nap) 4.03 Clearpoint 4.38 Boosala 5.13 Lasting Legacy
Chester 1.55 Silencer 2.30 Greatness Awaits 3.10 Glory Fighter 3.40 John The Baptist 4.15 Zainalarab 4.45 Prospect 5.20 Emiyn
Windsor 1.40 Shut Up And Dance 2.15 Bluelight Bay 2.48 Asian Queen 3.20 Modern News 3.55 Trais Flours 4.30 The Whipmaster 5.05 Whats In The Bag
Lingfield 5.45 Leap Abroad 6.15 Patontheback 6.45 Lady Hollywood 7.15 Coolmeen Royal 7.45 Ocean Ruler 8.15 Just A Tad 8.45 Sun Festival
Doncaster 6.00 Sea Of Charm 6.30 Bookmark 7.00 Hiya Maite 7.30 Pending Appeal 8.00 Pure Dreamer 8.30 Willem Twee 9.00 Raydoun
While he had a high-profile success on Inspiral he came in for pointed criticism from John Gosden following his ride on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup after which the pair were seen in animated discussion. The trainer also publicly rebuked him for the ride he gave the Queen’s Saga, who failed by a head to catch Thesis in the following contest.
Having ridden both Sunray Major and Stowel for the majority of their careers, the former will be the mount of James Doyle in the Criterion Stakes with Robert Havlin on the latter in the Fred Archer Stakes.
Bookmakers Betfair have opened a market on who will be the Gosdens’ next retained rider and bet: 4-11 Hollie Doyle, 7-1 James Doyle and Colin Keane, 14-1 David Egan, 16-1 Rob Havlin, 20-1 William Buick and Tom Marquand.
