On his first ride since taking a "sabbatical" from his relationship with John and Thady Gosden, Frankie Dettori partnered Lezoo to victory at Newmarket
It became apparent that all was not well with the Dettori and Gosden association on Thursday when the jockey's name appeared alongside the Ralph Beckett-trained filly in the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes, but not the Gosden-trained horses on the same card.
By Friday evening Gosden senior announced that the pair had paused their working relationship – without closing the door for good – but if Dettori (51) has shown anything during his illustrious career, it is that he is a dangerous man with a point to prove.
It briefly looked like Lezoo had a mountain to climb as Malrescia kicked clear at Headquarters, but Dettori’s timing was on point and she won going away by a length and three-quarters.
Speaking before racing, Dettori confirmed his intention to continue riding until at least the end of next season, telling Racing TV: "I will definitely do this year and next year.
"I will be riding in Istanbul in the Derby tomorrow and I will be in the German Derby next week and I’ve got a couple of weekends in Belmont and Saratoga, so I’m pretty busy for the next month. So, if you don’t see me ride domestically, it is not because I gave up. It is because I’m actually abroad.
"But I am intending to ride for the rest of this year and next year."
Ruby Walsh and Jane Mangan react to Frankie Dettori taking 'a sabbatical' from his relationship with John and Thady Gosden #rteracing @RTE2 @RTEplayer #DDFIrishDerby pic.twitter.com/zXYTyHfwOe
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) June 25, 2022
Despite his split with Gosden, Frankie Dettori will have no problem finding support, according to trainers Hugo Palmer and Roger Varian – with Aidan O'Brien also voicing his admiration for the rider.
O’Brien has turned to Dettori in recent years when fielding multiple contenders in big races, with the rider picking up some handy spares after retained jockey Ryan Moore has made his selection.
The relationship has yielded high-profile success, with Dettori partnering St Mark’s Basilica to win the Dewhurst in 2020 while the duo enjoyed double Classic success last year via Mother Earth in the 1000 Guineas and Snowfall in the Oaks.
O’Brien said: "He’s a great rider, always was and still is. Anytime we ever could get him, we were privileged to have him.
"When Frankie is available, we always feel privileged that he rides for us."
Palmer, who was in attendance at Newmarket to saddle Ever Given in the Group Three Criterion Stakes, feels the 51-year-old rider will not lack for rides, despite taking just 88 mounts in Britain in 2022, with all but 15 for Gosden’s team.
Palmer, who teamed up with Dettori in 2016 to win both the 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes with Galileo Gold, said: "I have already offered him a ride, but he is going to be in America.
"He is not just a great jockey – Frankie is the only jockey alive today who can claim to be the greatest of all time. (Lester) Piggott is dead, (Fred) Archer is dead, (Gordon) Richards is dead. None of the rest of them – look at Frankie’s Group One record compared to any other rider alive. It is extraordinary.
"Frankie picks and chooses his rides. While James Doyle is my number one pick, so it would be in the absence of James, but 100%, we will support him if we had the right horse and he was available.
"We might possibly, depending on the weather, supplement two for the July Cup in two weeks’ times, and I asked Frankie this morning if he’d be free, but he said he would be in America.
"Frankie has a lot of big days ahead of him. The two biggest days of my career – the 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes – were in Frankie’s hands, so we are eternally grateful to him for that and we’d like to win a third one for him!"
Newmarket handler Varian is also adamant Dettori will remain a popular choice if the right horse became available.
"We have got a strong team of jockeys, so there are not many spare rides from the stable, but he has ridden big winners for us in the past and I’m sure he will, at some point, ride for us again," said Varian.
"We like Frankie and we are fans of him, but we have six jockeys in the team to look after. He rode us our first Group One winner a few years ago (Nahrain in the 2011 Prix de l’Opera), so we are big fans of his."
Fellow jockeys Tom Marquand and Robert Havlin were also quick to back racing’s superstar.
Marquand said: "He’s a legend of our sport and competed at the highest level for many, many years.
"It is what it is. He’s incredible for our sport and there’s a reason he’s been at the top for so long.
"Partnerships are partnerships, whether it be within sport or marriages or anything, there’s going to be disputes, I suppose.
"Hopefully everything resolves itself and everything turns out for the best for everyone."
Havlin, who rides for the Gosden team, added: "It was wonderful to see him win today and we were all delighted for him, as I am sure John (Gosden) was. They go back a long way.
"Frankie is a legend and he’s got big days in him yet. Sometimes things don’t work out and perhaps it is the best thing for both parties, but I’m sure he has plenty of big winners left."
