Frankie Dettori won on his first and last rides as he said goodbye to British racing on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot.
The jockey recently announced he had shelved his retirement plan but instead would be moving to America to ride full-time in California this winter.
"It's absolutely insane, I have to pinch myself," said Dettori, as he came in on his Champion Stakes winner King Of Steel to the most joyous and raucous reception from an appreciative Ascot crowd.
Held up in last position on a day where little else had come from the rear, Dettori swept down the outside on the son of Wootton Bassett to land a most memorable success.
On this, his final meeting in the UK, he made the perfect start as Trawlerman (9/1) wore down Kyprios to win the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.
He was Dettori’s biggest-priced ride on the card, Kinross the shortest, and when he passed Art Power inside the final furlong of the Sprint, the 5/4 favourite looked all set to add further momentum to the rider’s final day. However his rival, an unconsidered 40/1 outsider in the betting, battled back tenaciously in the dying strides to get back up and win by a neck.
Free Wind was his third ride but she could never land a blow in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, eventually finishing fifth behind 22/1 winner Poptronic.
Chaldean was next but he was eased down to finish a distant last behind runaway winner Big Rock in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, but the best was yet to come in the Champion Stakes.
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