Tag: Europe

Legendary Jockey Frankie Dettori Reveals Plan To Retire In 2023

One of the greatest jockeys of all time, Frankie Dettori has announced that next season will be his last and that he will call time on his glittering career in 2023.

Dettori will begin his global farewell tour at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 and could well bring the curtain down at that same venue at the 2023 Breeders' Cup.

Dropping the bombshell on ITV Racing on Saturday morning, Dettori said, “Next year, 2023, will be my final professional year as a jockey. It's something I've been thinking about for a while.

“My heart wants to carry on riding but I have to use my brain. I want to stop at the top. It has been difficult but I think it's the right time.”

He added, “The plan is I am riding Boxing Day in Santa Anita and I'm planning to spend 10 weeks in California.

“I should make my way back via Dubai and Saudi and I guess start my [British] season in Newmarket.

“I will be riding right through, obviously it will be my last Guineas, my last Derby, my last Royal Ascot so on and so forth and then will probably finish [in Britain] at either Champions Day at Ascot or at Newmarket. The final farewell as a professional rider will be in California at the Breeders' Cup.”

Dettori insists the decision to call it a day is not one he has taken lightly.

“It is a very difficult decision because my heart wants to carry on riding, but I have had to use my brain and I've just turned 52 and next year I'll be 53,” he continued.

“I want to be competitive enough to do my owners and my horses justice next year and I think I'm still in that bracket of being good. It was difficult, but it is the right time.

“I spoke to my dad at length. My dad stopped at 51, he is very supporting and I also had to speak to my wife and children who are delighted because they have barely seen me for 35 years!

“I've been thinking about it for a few weeks and I've decided with the firepower I have next year and the horses I have to ride I can finish my career on a big note. Fingers crossed I stay in one piece and we'll give it a good go next year.

“Look at Ronaldo, one day he was playing and he's on the bench the next. I don't want to end up like that and end up where I'm struggling to get rides in the big races. At the moment I still have good horses to ride and I want to finish like that.”

The 52-year-old has been crowned champion jockey three times in Britain and has hogged the headlines for the majority of his career, including when winning all seven races at a high-profile Ascot meeting in 1996.

The long-time number one rider for Godolphin, Detorri parted company with the world-famous racing operation in 2012 and served a six-moth drugs ban soon after the split.

He has been based with John Gosden, for whom he will again ride as number one for in 2023, since 2015, although the pair's relationship was put under well-documented strain this summer after a disappointing Royal Ascot.

However, it is alongside Gosden that Dettori has enjoyed some of his greatest days on a racecourse, and the trainer said he felt the rider was making a good decision to retire next year.

Gosden commented, “Frankie and I discussed this whole matter last week in some depth and we've had a 30-year association together. It is essential that he goes out at the top. Being an elite athlete at any age is incredibly demanding, never mind at 52 years of age.

“He has been riding for me since the early nineties. He came to me in 1993 and he was champion jockey in 1994 and 1995 which showed his amazing class and ability as both a jockey and an athlete. He then went to Godolphin after that and had a wonderful career with them.

“Things slightly went into a dip after that period and it was about 2013/14 that William Buick was our jockey here and he transferred to Godolphin and Frankie had left Godolphin some two or three years before then. But of course with William going there it created a vacancy for Frankie to come back.”

Since reuniting, Gosden and Dettori have combined to win three G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes–with Golden Horn (GB) in 2015 and with Enable (GB) in 2017 and 2018–and three Classics.

On their success, Gosden continued, “We've had since 2015 the most amazing and extraordinary time together, thanks mainly to all the wonderful horses we've had here and the owners who support our stable.

“But since then the list is endless of top-class Group 1 horses, Golden Horn, Stradivarius (Ire), Enable, Palace Pier (GB)–when you're operating at that level there are some pretty amazing horses.

“So we've had a great run here and he had a good year last year. But I think there comes a time when a great rider like this needs to know when to hang up his boots.

“We've all seen footballers, boxers–anybody really–try to stay a bit too long at something and I think to get to 52 is an amazing achievement.

“I think he'll go on this world tour now starting off in California and winding up in California at the end of the year in November and that's what he wants to do, to be riding all over the place, but obviously based out of England.”

 

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Godolphin’s Quickstep Lives Up To Her Name For Wootton Bassett In Deauville Debut

4th-Deauville, €27,000, Mdn, 12-16, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT), 1:31.73, st.
QUICKSTEP (FR) (f, 2, Wootton Bassett {GB}–Dance Toupie {Fr}, by Dansili {GB}) was well away from the inside stall to race in a handy third after the opening quarter of this debutantes' heat. Making smooth headway on the bridle in the straight and sent with 300 metres remaining, the even-money pick took a slender advantage into the final furlong and kept on powerfully under whipless coaxing in the closing stages to defeat Sunlike (Fr) (De Treville {GB}) by 1 1/4 lengths. Quickstep is the seventh of eight foals and sixth scorer from as many runners produced by a half-sister to four black-type performers out of G3 Prix d'Arenberg victrix and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Toupie (GB) (Intikhab). The May-foaled dark bay, who joined the Godolphin fold for 350,000gns from the Haras d'Etreham draft at the Tattersalls October Sale Book 2, is a full-sister to G3 Prix Daphnis second Dave (Fr) and a half to GIII Daytona S. third Commander (Fr) (War Command) and a weanling filly by Persian King (Ire). The latter was purchased by Bobby Flay for €65,000 out of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale earlier this month. Sales history: €120,000 Wlg '20 ARQDEC; 350,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €13,500. Video, sponsored by TVG.
O-Godolphin; B-Mathieu Daguzan-Garros (FR); T-Andre Fabre.

 

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Pricy Half-Brother To Angel Bleu Debuts At Lingfield

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a Siyouni (Fr) half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

12.40 Lingfield, Nov, £6,800, 2yo, 8f 1y (AWT)
Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa's SWORDOFHONOR (IRE) (Siyouni {Fr}), an Andrew Balding-trained half-brother to last term's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International hero Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), was the highest-priced colt at the 2021 Arqana August fixture when knocked down for €1.5 million and encounters eight rivals in this debut. Opposition includes the owner's once-raced Laser Guided (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who is out of a winning half-sister to MG1SW sire Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), from the Simon and Ed Crisford stable; and Ed Walker trainee Waipiro (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is a half-brother to last year's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup and dual G1 Stewards' Cup hero Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}).

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BHA Will Review Whip Rules Once Again After Additional Concerns Raised

Additional discussions are being held to address the issues that surround the new UK whip rules, which are due to begin on Jan. 9, 2023 for National Hunt racing, with a four-week “bedding-in” period, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Friday evening.

Under the new rules, winning horses face disqualification if their jockey does not follow the new regulations. It has been agreed that to address concerns regarding the impact of potential disqualification of runners on raceday for betting purposes, any potential decisions regarding disqualification will now be made by the whip review committee away from raceday, and will therefore not affect the outcome of a race for betting purposes.

The “bedding-in” period allows jockeys to ride without being subject to the new sanctions. Beginning on Feb. 6, the new rules begin. For Flat racing, the “bedding-in” period begins on Feb. 27, with full implementation of the rules due to start on Mar. 27. Under the revised rules, a jump jockey who uses their whip 12 or more times–with 11 strikes or more for Flat jockeys–in any race could be disqualified. In addition, if the races are Class 1 or Class 2 races under both codes, as well as any race worth £27,500 on the Flat or £20,000 over jumps, the jockey also faces a potential 28-day ban.

Some leeway may be allowed if it is deemed riders were using their whip in the interests of safety or if it has been used down the shoulder with both hands on the reins. It has also now been decided that, should they wish, Flat jockeys may use the jump version of the whip–which has a longer padded section–in response to concerns raised by some jockeys regarding the use of the whip in the backhand-only and the risk of landing it in the incorrect place.

It is understood further representations made to the British Horseracing Authority include concerns over the backhand-only rule.

A spokesperson for the BHA said, “The BHA has always understood the challenges involved in any review of the use of the whip in horse racing.

“From the moment we launched a consultation in July 2021 we constantly engaged with all interested parties, especially jockeys and their representatives, to ensure we listened to the views of those most affected.

“It was because of that readiness to engage that we agreed to extend the initial timescales for implementation of new rules beyond autumn 2022, allowing as many people as possible to influence and shape the technical discussion phase.

“In the past few days, however, further representations have been made to the BHA, including some themes which were not raised as part of the initial consultation or technical discussions.

“In light of this latest information, the BHA and the chair of the Whip Consultation Steering Group have agreed to continue dialogue to explore options that address the concerns being raised, while still delivering our core objective of a more considered and judicious use of the whip for encouragement, and improved perception of whip use.

“It is right that those discussions are allowed to take place away from the glare of publicity but we will look to provide an update as soon as possible in light of the existing timelines for the 'soft launch' of revised rules on Jan. 9, 2023.”

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