Frankie Dettori bids for a fifth QIPCO 1000 Guineas as he has his final ride in the Newmarket Classic aboard Lezoo this Sunday.
Dettori, 52, announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 campaign last year and has already enjoyed Classic success this spring when winning the Italian 2000 Guineas on Vero Atleta. He last won the 1000 Guineas on Mother Earth for trainer Aidan O'Brien in 2021.
This Sunday he gets back on board the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo for owner Marc Chan and Dettori is feeling positive after she beat the O'Brien-trained Meditate when last seen at Newmarket in September.
William Buick was on Lezoo in the Cheveley Park Stakes at HQ that day but Dettori had ridden her for her three previous starts and is excited to "roll the dice" on Sunday.
Speaking on Sky Sports Racing on Wednesday, he said: "She's a lovely filly, was a champion two-year-old, winning the Cheveley Park. She's very uncomplicated.
"I went to see her at Ralph Beckett's and she looks good. It looks a very competitive 1000 Guineas and a wide-open one."
In regards to the step up from six furlongs to the one-mile trip, Dettori added: "Every time I said that she wouldn't do something, she did it. We'll roll the dice and see what happens.
"At Ascot (G3 Princess Margaret Keeneland Stakes) and in the Cheveley Park she was very tough. She's been on the track before obviously and Cachet did it last year, why not?"
Meanwhile, Dettori is keeping the faith with Chaldean ahead of Saturday's QIPCO 2000 Guineas after he unseated coming out of the stalls in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury.
“It wasn’t ideal what happened at Newbury, so I went to Andrew’s on Saturday for a sit on him and he seemed in good nick,” he said.
“It was one of those unfortunate things (at Newbury) – the horse next door jinked, mine jinked a bit, knocked my foot out of the iron and before I knew I was on the floor.
“I’d have rather finished the race on him than walk back, that’s for sure, but I like the horse, he’s done nothing wrong.
“He won the Dewhurst which is usually the best trial. We don’t know how he’s done between two and three but it’s the same story for all of them, that’s why the Guineas is so unpredictable, you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“He got seven furlongs no problem in the Champagne and Dewhurst, so he doesn’t have much further to go.”
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