The five greatest Frankie Dettori winners at Royal Ascot
- Tom Reed
- 13 June 2023
No Royal Ascot meeting would be complete without a flying dismount from the superstar jockey Frankie Dettori.
The Italian goes with the prestigious royal meeting like a pint of cold lager goes with a warm summer day and Dettori will want to land some big winners at this year's Royal Ascot in his final year in the saddle.
Planet Sport looks at Dettori's standout victories from his mega 76-win haul at Royal Ascot, starting way back in 1990 when Gazza was doing his thing in the World Cup Italia '90.
5. Markofdistinction - Queen Anne Stakes (1990)
They say you always remember your first and Dettori should remember his maiden Royal Ascot win fondly given the 19-year-old Italian beat a field of seasoned riders in a classic held-up victory.
In a showing of pure skill and stealth, Dettori had the Lucan Cumani trained Markofdistinction in dead last at the half-way point of the one mile contest.
Dettori was almost invisible until a furlong to go when he broke cover, jinked to the rails and engaged in a ding-dong battle with the experienced Bruce Raymond on Mirror Black.
Youth and talent won the day as Dettori earned his first Group Two victory and his first Royal Ascot win by a neck.
4. Ramonti - Queen Anne Stakes (2007)
It was apt for the proud Italian Dettori, that an Italian champion horse broke the race record for the Queen Anne Stakes in 2007.
A Group One winner in Italy, Ramonti transferred to Godolphin shortly before Royal Ascot that year and headed for a hotly contested Queen Anne Stakes.
All eyes were on odds-on Ballydoyle grandeur George Washington but Dettori took up the running in the royal blue of Godolphin.
At two furlongs out, the five-year-old Ramonti was pressed by the Sir Michael Stoute trained Jeremy, with Ryan Moore kicking his mount on and over to the rails in what appeared a killer move.
While Dettori trod a central path, George Washington made a late charge but it was the green, white and red of Italy not the green, white and orange of Ireland triumphant at the post as Ramonti came out best in a four horse finish, clocking a a race record time of 1.37.21.
While others were toiling for the win, Dettori had Ramonti in the rhythm to make the Ascot record books.
3. Rewilding - Prince Of Wales's Stakes (2011)
The betting market certainly undervalued Dettori's 17/2 chance Rewilding in the 2011 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The horse had finished third in the 2010 Epsom Derby, which was won in record time by Workforce, so he was no slouch and proved it in a thrilling finish at Ascot.
Centre of attention was Aidan O'Brien's hot favourite So You Think, ridden by Workforce's jockey Ryan Moore. Dettori held up Rewilding in last place while the Ballydoyle pacesetter Jan Vermeer set the agenda up front.
At three out, So You Think swept past stablemate Jan Vermeer in textbook Ballydoyle tactics and looked to have the race in the bag.
Enter Dettori stage right on Rewilding, eating up a three-length gap to So You Think, drawing upsides in a perfectly timed ride and using all of Rewilding's elegant neck for a sensational victory.
It takes bravery to hold up a horse behind an O'Brien favourite, showing Dettori has the calm to go with the cahoonas.
2. Raffle Prize - Queen Mary Stakes (2019)
Emerging as winner of the 25 runner, five furlong cavalry charge that is the Queen Mary Stakes is difficult in any renewal but more-so in 2019 with good-to-soft going.
Anyone wearing a top-hat and tails at Royal Ascot would have been running for cover in torrential rain as Dettori set out on the Mark Johnston-trained 18/1 outsider Raffle Prize in this energy-sapping sprint.
With the horses splitting into two groups it was the Wesley Ward American raider Kimari carrying the luminous green silks at the front on the near side. Meanwhile, on the far-side, Liberty Beach skipped over the slope and looked a likely winner.
Yet Dettori emerged in his grey silks which matched the sky at Ascot, getting Raffle Prize into a winning rhythm and grinding out the victory by a head from Kimari.
Ascot isn't all about sun and champagne, sometimes it's about mud and misery and Dettori showed he is at home with both.
1. Stradivarius - Ascot Gold Cup (2020)
Purists may look to the super-stayer Stradivarius' first Gold Cup win under Frankie Dettori in 2018 as the one to beat, given the epic battle with Vazirabad for the victory.
Yet, there was something truly exhilarating about Dettori's ten-length winning ride for Stradivarius' hat-trick of Ascot Gold Cup wins in 2020.
The John Gosden horse is named after the famous violin maker and Dettori certainly got a tune out of his ride in the gruelling two-mile four furlong contest at Ascot.
If Dettori was nervous about Stradivarius gaining the trio of Gold Cup wins after victories in 2018 and 2019 he certainly didn't show it, stalking the leader Nayef Road at distance.
The savvy Dettori clearly knew he could hang-back at private-detective range and merely asked Stradivarius to go at two furlongs out, which the horse did with minimum fuss, extending for a ten length victory.
Dettori was probably back at his car before the rest of the jockey's weighed in and in fairness, this Royal Ascot specialist has always been out in front at his favourite race meeting.
Dettori goes again in Thursday's Gold Cup on Stradivarius as the duo look for a record-equally fourth win. Unsurprisingly they are the red-hot favourites.
