Frankie Dettori started his final day as a rider at Royal Ascot as a passenger in the royal procession – the first active jockey to be granted such a privilege – and trying hard to stick to protocol and not wave to the grandstands.
A much-anticipated run at an eighth jockeys’ title at the meeting never really threatened to materialise, however, and having drawn a blank from his final five rides, the jockey who is second only to Lester Piggott in the Royal Ascot record books bowed out with 81 victories in all.
Dettori’s first ride of the day set the tone, as Covey, the 11-4 favourite for the Jersey Stakes, finished ninth of 15 behind Age Of Kings, while he was also out of the frame on two more big fancies, Kinross (6-1) and Free Wind (6-4) in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and Hardwicke Stakes respectively.
Fourth place in the Wokingham Handicap on Mums Tipple was the best Dettori could do on the day, before beating three opponents home aboard Knockbrex in the Golden Gates Handicap.
“It [being in the royal procession] was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Dettori said. “I was told I wasn’t allowed to wave and I found that really difficult.
“I didn’t have time to reflect [during the day] because I was so busy. I was a little bit sad but I’ve had a really good run at it. I’m pleased I’m going to finish in front of Ryan Moore [on the all-time winners list].
“When I walked into the weighing room today I felt like I was 16 again. This place has been lucky for me. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t win my last race as I might not have handled the razzmatazz.”
Instead, the riding honours on the day went to Jamie Spencer, who will be on holiday with Dettori from Sunday, as he steered the rank outsider Khaadem to victory in the feature event, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
In much the same way the BBC’s vidiprinter used to spell it out in brackets when a football team scored seven or eight, the racecourse announcer felt obliged to confirm that Khaadem had started at “80, eight-oh to 1” after his shock success.
This was his eighth start in a Group One and his first victory at the highest level, finally confirming the huge promise he had shown when he cantered home under a big weight in the Stewards’ Cup in his three-year-old season back in 2019.
There were many believers in his ability four summers ago and he started co-favourite for the Group One Sprint Cup at Haydock on his next trip to the track. But he finished down the field and had been beaten in six subsequent Group One starts – including last year’s King Stand Stakes, when he reared and unseated Spencer in the stalls before galloping riderless down the straight course and finishing upsides the winner, Nature Strip.
By the time he went to post on Saturday, Khaadem’s loyal following had dwindled to such an extent that he set off as the joint-outsider of the 16-strong field.
The horse, though, had no idea of his extravagant odds and under one of Spencer’s trademark waiting rides, he made steady progress towards the lead from two furlongs out before edging past the William Haggas-trained Sacred four strides from the line.
Charlie Hills, Khaadem’s trainer, said he had “wanted to try to race him properly again, drop him in and make sure we got the six furlongs well,” and so Spencer was an easy choice for the ride.
“I felt no pressure,” Spencer said. “I followed Frankie [Dettori on Kinross] and Tom [Marquand on Sacred] and could see Tom was going well at halfway. Just like in a cycling race you let him do the work for you and you hope that when you pull out you have a little bit to fire.
“Winning Group One [races] is hard, and getting on the horses in Group Ones is the hardest part, but it’s a fantastic day and I’m going to enjoy it.
Hexham
1.45 Bergentown 2.15 Classic Lady 2.45 Champagnesocialist 3.20 Deluxe Range 3.53 Kicksaftersix 4.23 Follow Your Arrow 4.53 Tineggiori
Ffos Las
2.00 Heed The Call 2.30 Notre Maison 3.05 Hydration 3.35 Mujid 4.05 Tollard Royal (nb) 4.35 Wiff Waff 5.05 Lusaka
Pontefract
3.45 Whoop Whoop 4.15 Million Thanks 4.45 Voodoo Queen 5.15 Blow Your Horn 5.45 Haseefah 6.15 Tasever (nap) 6.45 Milbanke
“I sit beside Frankie in the weighing room. It was looking bleak in the last few days having to listen to him and even one of my friends said ‘he’s going to be insufferable’ after Coppice [and Dettori] won [on Friday]. At least I’ve had a little bit of a fightback.”
Moore, who had led the race for the jockeys’ title since the opening day, won the concluding long-distance Queen Alexandra Stakes on Joseph O’Brien’s Dawn Rising to take Royal Ascot’s riders’ prize for the 10th time. His chief employer, Aidan O’Brien, with four victories, was the week’s leading trainer, extending his all-time record total of winners at the meeting to 85.
