Dettori Ban Reduced; Still Misses Key Rides

[Wandering Eyes]

Frankie Dettori has had a 10-day ban picked up at Newmarket last week reduced to six days on appeal, but will still miss the rides on Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in next week’s G1 Sussex S. and Stradivarius (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Goodwood Cup. He also misses this Saturday’s G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., for which regular mount Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is under consideration.

Dettori received the ban after his mount Angel’s Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) shifted right without sufficient correction in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and interfered with a handful of runners.

Dettori did not comment following the verdict, but had insisted during the hearing that he had not been at fault for the incident. He said, “I went for the gap as there was plenty of room for me to go. No, she didn’t hang into Colm O’Donoghue’s filly. I stayed straight. Colm O’Donoghue went slightly left and I think James Doyle [on Main Edition] went marginally left. He [Silvestre de Sousa on Pretty Pollyanna] just gradually went right. When Silvestre de Sousa drifted and went right, she was intimidated. I was trying to explain to the panel on the day in that instance, when Silvestre de Sousa came across, she had a tendency to go right with him. I used the whip once when she ran off a true line, I put my hands back on the reins to try to avoid a collision.”

Trainer John Gosden testified that Angel’s Hideaway is a very nervous filly, but disciplinary panel chairman David Fish said, “This is not a straightforward case and a number of issues have been raised by both sides. We’ve given careful consideration for this and have decided to dismiss this appeal. We have taken the view that Mr Dettori’s horse showed a tendency to go right in what is called to be the ‘O’Donoghue’ incident, which is regarded to be sufficient enough to give Mr Dettori notice that this difficult filly might go further right. He then used his whip in the left hand and the filly started to go to the right. We take the view he had sufficient time to take preventative action before he did and that amounted to careless riding.”

Dettori will be able to resume riding on the Thursday of Glorious Goodwood, when the G1 Nassau S. is the feature race.

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