Frankie Dettori rides Royal Ascot double to take career tally at the meeting to 81 winners
By Sporting Life
17:40 · FRI June 23, 2023
Frankie Dettori added two more Royal Ascot winners to his career tally with a day four double on Friday.
Dettori's final appearance at his favourite meeting started slowly on Tuesday but Gregory got the ball rolling in Wednesday's Queen's Vase before Courage Mon Ami gave the retiring Italian rider, 52, the perfect Gold Cup send-off by winning Thursday's feature event.
After bagging Friday's opening Albany Stakes on Porta Fortuna, the flying dismount was in full flow once again after Coppice justified 6/1 joint-favouritism in the Sandringham Stakes.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Kingman filly Coppice was defying an official BHA handicap mark of 97 and swept to a one-length victory over John Quinn's 33/1 chance Breege towards the stands' side rail.
Third went to Balalaika at 66/1, with Unless (14/1), Candle Of Hope (50/1) and Novus (18/1) rounding out the first six.
Coppice's victory moved Dettori onto 81 career Royal Ascot winners.
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The winning jockey told ITV: “That was a good effort, the Juddmonte team are here so to get a good winner for them is nice, they’ve been great supporters of mine. They’re on the board so I’m very pleased.
“We thought she was a Guineas filly but she didn’t come to hand soon enough. We put her in this race as we thought she’d be very competitive and she was.
“This week has been unbelievable, I love Ascot so I’m enjoying the moment. I won my first Gold Cup in 1992 and another one yesterday, my ninth. And we’ve still got tomorrow to come.”
Fortuna favours the brave
Dettori had earlier landed his 80th career Royal Ascot winner when riding the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Porta Fortuna to victory in the opening Group 3 Albany Stakes.
Porta Fortuna arrived to Ascot unbeaten and, after racing just off the early pace in the centre of the course, the daughter of Caravaggio extended her winning sequence to three with a one-length verdict over 9/1 chance Matrika, trained by winning trainer O'Brien's father, Aidan.
Third went to Newmarket scorer Soprano for George Boughey and William Buick at 13/2, while 20/1 chance Persian Dreamer was fourth having led for most of the way in the smaller stands' group of fillies.
Betfair reacted by cutting the winner to 10/1 from 25/1 for next year's 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
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Dettori said: “It’s brilliant to get 80. I had that figure in my mind all week, 100%. I thought, ‘God, I’ve got to get three’. It is easier said than done, but now that I’ve done it ‘Yes!’ it is a big number!”
Dettori’s family have been on course all week and daughter Mia was in the winner’s enclosure.
She said: “It is amazing having a dad like him, especially when you are at the races. It is like you get the whole excitement which you wouldn’t otherwise get.
“It’s great to be here for his last year here. The whole family are coming at some point. It would be great if he finished on top at Royal Ascot as the top jockey – that would be the dream.”
While Dettori was racking up another Ascot landmark, O’Brien was delighted to get off the mark with a filly who changed hands after her debut win.
He said: “It means a lot (to train a first Royal Ascot winner). She is a very smart filly, and big congratulations to all the owners, they spotted her potential early and bought into her and the plan was to come here and it is great that it has come off.
“She travelled really well, she is a very good filly, she quickened smartly but she kept going to the line well. She is just a very smart filly. We’ll take her home and see how she comes out of it. She is quite a scopey filly – she is owned by a bunch of American owners so the Breeders’ Cup will be a target, whether she will stay that far or not we will see.
“We will see how she comes out of the race, then we will make a plan.”
Aidan O’Brien was satisfied with the second and said: “Delighted, she ran a really good race. A lazy worker and doesn’t show you much at home. But we were very happy with that.”
Soprano finished third and her trainer George Boughey expects her to step up again over longer distances.
He said: “I am delighted with her. She looked like she was probably drawn on the wrong side unfortunately, but we are thrilled.
“She’s a filly that is always going to get further. She’s out of a sister to a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and that’s where her future lies, probably up in trip. They just had a little bit too much toe for her and sprinted away, but she hit the line strong.”
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