Frankie Dettori’s hopes of winning the one particular race missing from his CV before he retires appear to be over after he was handed an eight-day whip ban for his ride on Inspiral at Royal Ascot.
The Darley July Cup, at his home course of Newmarket, is the one domestic Group One to have eluded the 52-year-old, who will retire at the end of 2023.
He was hoping to have a final crack at it aboard Ralph Beckett’s dual Group One winner Kinross, but was found by the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee to have used his whip seven times in the Queen Anne Stakes on John and Thady Gosden’s filly when second to Triple Time.
That is one over the allotted number of six on the Flat, which triggers a four-day ban – and as the race is a Group One that penalty is doubled.
With Dettori already due to be serving a nine-day ban due to run from July 4-12 inclusive for causing interference on Saga in the Wolferton Stakes – which he is appealing – his whip ban would begin after that suspension has been served, ruling him out of the July Cup on July 15. His dates of suspension for his whip ban are July 13-15 and 17-21.
Another high-profile absentee from the July course will be Oisin Murphy, who also went over the permitted level by one in his use of the whip aboard Valiant King, who finished runner-up in the King George V Stakes. As that is a Class 2 race the four-day penalty is also doubled to eight. He will be out of action on July 11-15 and 17-19.
In the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, James McDonald was found to have gone two over the limit in finishing fourth with Artorius. He was given a ban totalling 14 days. Taking into account the value and class of race McDonald was also fined £400.
Daniel Muscutt is another missing Newmarket, as like Dettori and Murphy he used his whip seven times when riding Canberra Legend into fifth place in the Hampton Court Stakes.
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