Frankie Dettori is the man the bookies fear as he heads into the final Royal Ascot of his star-studded career next week.
The superstar jockey is the most successful active jockey at the five day meeting, having ridden 77 winners and been crowned top jockey seven times, the last time in 2019.
He has a number of fancied mounts as he prepares for the occasion for the final time as a rider before he retires later in the year.
These are set to include Inspiral in the Queen Anne Stakes and Chaldean in the St James’s Palace Stakes on Tuesday.
He could also ride Saga, owned by the King and Queen, in the Royal Hunt Cup, Kinross in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and Free Wind in the Hardwicke Stakes.
The Dettori farewell tour has featured a number of standout moments with the jockey winning two out of the four Classics to be run this year, the 2,000 Guineas on Chaldean and Oaks on Soul Sister.
As a result he has been installed 2-1 second favourite by Coral and Ladbrokes to finish next week as top jockey at Royal Ascot.
Ryan Moore, who scooped the title last year after riding seven winners, is the 5-4 favourite with William Buick 9-2 and Oisin Murphy 10-1.
"Although Ryan Moore is favourite to be crowned top jockey at Royal Ascot, Frankie Dettori is the man we'll be most fearful of next week, with all his mounts sure to be popular with punters following his great success at the meeting throughout his career," said Coral's David Stevens.
"It's a measure of how Frankie is ending his career on such a high that he is second only to Moore in the betting to be leading rider over the biggest five days in the Flat racing calendar, and odds of 2-1 suggest he'll be on board plenty of well-backed runners.”
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien’s formidable partnership is expected to rise to the top for another year at Royal Ascot. The duo claimed the honours at last year’s royal meeting and the pair dominate the betting once again.
“However, punters are likely to ignore the odds and go with their hearts as favourite jockey Frankie Dettori rides at the royal meeting for the last time.”
