Frankie Dettori Ascot Rides On QIPCO British Champions Day
See below the expected Frankie Dettori Ascot rides today ahead of QIPCO British Champions Day at the Berkshire track as the pocket Italian has another decent selection of booked mounts to look forward to.
Frankie Dettori Ascot Rides Today on 2023 QIPCO British Champions Day
This Saturday’s 2023 QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot was meant to be another big Frankie Dettori swansong meeting, with the Italian announcing his retirement at the end of this season. However, Dettori has since revealed that his making a swift retirement U-turn on ending his career and will carry on racing into 2024.
Dettori is planning on basing himself in the US for the bulk of 2024, but there is every chance European horse racing fans will see the popular jockey in action at the big festivals too.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Frankie Dettori Ascot rides ahead of this Saturday’s lucrative QIPCO British Champions Day – a fixture Dettori has often done well at over the years.
2023 QIPCO British Champions Day: Frankie Dettori Rides Today
1:15 – Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup (Group 2) (British Champions Series) Cl1 (3yo+) 2m ITV: TRAWLERMAN 10/1 with BetMGM
Frankie has won 2 of the last 8 runnings of the Long Distance Cup and having built up a good relationship with Godolphin’s Trawlerman in recent seasons, including a win at Newmarket last time out, has been booked to ride this Gosden-trained 5 year-old again. The horse was also third in the race 12 months ago at 20/1 to Trueshan, with Dettori in the saddle there too, and a repeat of that effort would give him place claims again.
1:50 – Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) Cl1 (3yo+) 6f ITV: KINROSS 6/4 with BetMGM
Kinross and Frankie Dettori teamed-up to win the Sprint Stakes last season and are expected to be back for more. This 118-rated Ralph Beckett sprinter has had another top season – winning the City Of York and Lennox Stakes – and looks the likely favourite with the best UK horse racing betting sites. He was a small doubt for the race with connections having one eye on the Breeders’ Cup again, but he took in both meeting last term and another big run here on Saturday could still see him jet off to Santa Anita early next month. Kinross will be looking to give Frankie his sixth win in the race and also become the first ‘back-to-back’ winner of the Champion Sprint Stakes since 1959 (Jack and Jill).
2:25 – Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m4f ITV: FREE WIND 3/1 with BetMGM
Another Champions Day race Frankie Dettori has a good record in – winning 3 of the last 7 – and he’s got a top chance of adding to that with Free Wind. This John Gosden runner was down the field in the Arc last time, but before that she’d run a close second to Warm Heart in the Yorkshire Oaks and now back racing against her own sex will be a popular pick. Those against her, however, might look to her only previous run at Ascot resulting in being a beaten favourite in the Hardwicke Stakes here at the Royal Meeting in June.
3:05 – Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored By Qipco) (Group 1) (British Champions Mile) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m ITV: CHALDEAN 10/1 with BetMGM
No Inspiral for Frankie as connections decided to take her out due to the softer ground. So, this has led to a switch to the Andrew Balding-trained Chaldean, who Dettori is no stranger to after partnering him to win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket back in May. Since that win though he’s played second fiddle to Paddington, when third in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot back in June, so needs to make up 3 3/4 lengths on that form. On a plus, Chaldean acts well on soft ground and a 3 1/2 month freshening up period would have helped. Not without place claims in a race Frankie last won in 2017 on Persuasive.
3:45 – Qipco Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance) (Group 1) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m2f ITV: KING OF STEEL 10/3 with BetMGM
With the Amo Racing team not having a retained jockey at the moment, since parting ways with Kevin Stott in the summer, this has paved the way for Frankie Dettori to be booked to ride their Epsom Derby runner-up King Of Steel in the feature. He was last seen running a close 4th in the Champion Stakes in Ireland and before that a fine third in the King George. Being a 3 year-old will also get a handy 4lbs allowance off the older runners in the race and Frankie will be looking for his third Champion Stakes win in the last 7 years. Yet another Dettori runner with big claim, but the niggle would be that ALL of the last 21 winners had won at least 4 times and King Of Steel has only tasted victory twice.
