• Trainer John Gosden records first success in prestigious race
Frankie Dettori insists he will ride for another five years at least but every big-race success now offers another reminder of what the sport will lose when he finally retires. Dettori played the crowd like a conductor leading an orchestra as he returned to the winner’s enclosure on Stradivarius after the Gold Cup here on Thursday, having seen off Vazirabad after a bitter struggle in the final furlong. “Sometimes it looks like a great match on paper,” he said. “This developed into a great match, and it was nail-biting to the end. It was thrilling to win a Gold Cup in that manner.”
It was as thrilling for 70,000 spectators as it was for the rider on the track. Stradivarius, the 7-4 joint-favourite, had already seen off his market rival, Order Of St George, when Christophe Soumillon, a master of the cruise-and-pounce ride, loomed up on his inside aboard Vazirabad with a furlong to run. Torcedor, who had led the field into the home straight, was still in there fighting too and all three horses were with a length of each other to the line.
Written by Greg Wood at Royal Ascot
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jun/21/frankie-dettori-orchestrates-crowd-after-winning-gold-cup-royal-ascot-stradivarius-horse-racing under the title “Frankie Dettori orchestrates crowd after winning Gold Cup on Stradivarius”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
