Dettori gets reception from York crowd like he is one of their own

For a guy born in Milan, Italy, not York in England, jockey Frankie Dettori got the sort of reception reserved for a “hometown boy” after winning last Saturday’s £500,000 Ebor Handicap.

Riding 9-1 chance Trawlerman, for trainer John Gosden, the world’s best-known rider employed unusual tactics on his mount, but it paid off, albeit narrowly.

With Trawlerman drawn on the outside of the 22-runner field, Dettori elected to simply go straight and was markedly detached from the rest of the pack. Racegoers who had backed the Italian must have wondered what he was doing.

Gradually, Dettori manoeuvred his mount back with the rest of the field and kicked for home early in the straight. Over the final 200m, Trawlerman was joined by Alfred Boucher who had won a race at the York track on Wednesday.

“A couple went past us, but he picked up again and I knew we had a shout. That was some race,” said Dettori.

“I thought I was just running out of runway and might not get there but, in fairness, he put his head down,” added the 51-year-old. “I knew it was close so there was no way I was celebrating early.”

Many will wonder why Dettori was booked for a Gosden runner in the first place as the pair had a much-publicised split after Ascot and what the trainer regarded as a poor ride on Stradivarius. However, in recent weeks and after a short “sabbatical”,  there has been a rekindling of the partnership with Dettori riding a number of fancied runners for the stable.

Gosden told ITV racing: “The only reason the split ever happened was because I couldn’t get his attention, I could not get him to concentrate.

“In the end, it needed a bit of a public warning, we left him on the bench so to speak. Then he’s gone and won two important races at York, when he’s in the zone he’s absolutely top-class. When he’s not he’s an absolute menace,” Gosden added.

Lord William Derby, York CEO, expressed the view that the Ebor meeting had been a much-needed shot in the arm for British racing. “I felt it was just what British racing needed. It was a week in the sun with star horses and jockeys doing the talking.

“Baaeed put up a scintillating performance and he got a fantastic reaction [from the crowd] reminiscent of Frankel and Sea The Stars,” said Derby.

“The Ebor was an amazing ride by Frankie, at the same age as me. I’m not sure that many people could have got Trawlerman across the line in front. After the summer that Frankie and John Gosden have gone through, it was sporting drama at its best,” concluded Derby.

Total attendance at the four-day meeting was 77,700 while the biggest crowd was the 28,063 on the Saturday.