Frankie Dettori could be tempted into stunning retirement U-turn with big-money offer from billionaire owner
FRANKIE DETTORI could be tempted to delay his retirement with a mega money offer from a billionaire owner.
As we all know, the great man is set to hang up the saddle. But when… no one is still quite sure.
At first it was Champions Day at Ascot, now he’s set to be Stateside come the new year.
And in the hype of his sparkling Juddmonte win on Mostahdaf, he dropped the biggest hint yet he could well extend this so-called retirement tour.
“If anyone offered me a big retainer for next year, then who knows!” he quipped at York.
Of course, with Frankie, you never quite know what is tongue in cheek and what’s semi-serious.
Yet this sounded pretty sincere.
And big-spending new kids on the block Wathnan Racing are just in the right place to offer Frankie bucket loads of cash.
In fact, I have had a wink and a nod that their team have already whispered a few sweet nothings in his ear.
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They have pretty quickly bought their way to the top and the Italian has already ridden them two Royal Ascot winners.
If he stuck around next year he could slip into the job as their retained rider no issue - while renting out his mansion for £15,000 a month.
He would only be needed at the major meetings and it would allow the likes of Kieran Shoemark and Benoit de la Sayette to come through without any issues at team Gosden.
It makes perfect sense.
Frankie would be a gun for hire on the biggest days and he could crack on with his new career in the media at the same time when it suited.
Wathnan, headed by the Emir Of Qatar, already have horses with numerous trainers and have shelled out millions on bundles of bluebloods for the next couple of seasons.
They’re trying to make an impact on the big stage and make a name for themselves.
What better way than having Frankie ride your horses around the globe?
Back to the track and plenty of shrewd faces in Newmarket are excited to see Passenger returning at Windsor on Saturday evening.
Sir Michael Stoute’s three-year-old was the talk of the town before his Derby flop and ‘Mr Patient’ has lived up to his name since.
He returns for tonight’s Winter Hill Stakes — a race Stoute has won twice in a row.
The three-year-old colt, who was an eye-catching third in the Dante, is expected to win this before some bigger Autumn targets.
Looking further ahead the James Fanshawe team are lining up Novel Legend for a tilt at the Cesarewitch on October 14.
He split Sweet William, red-hot favourite for the York Ebor, and Aztec Empire on his last spin at Newbury and looks very well-treated just a pound higher now.
He can be backed at 20-1 antepost in a few places and that looks a serious play to me.
The Ebor isn’t typically a race I get too jiggy about from a betting perspective but I can’t help but fancy SCAMPI (3.35).
He’s been a real late developer but is starting to look like a Group performer and you need to be one of them to win this at York.
There are plenty of dangers but he looks a cracking bet at around 12-1.
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