Frankie Dettori, who seemed likely to miss this year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when his intended mount was withdrawn earlier this week, will go to post at Chantilly on Sunday with a realistic chance after he was booked to ride Order Of St George, a 16-1 shot, for Aidan O’Brien in the European season’s most prestigious event.
Dettori equalled the record number of Arc victories by a jockey when Golden Horn gave him his fourth success in the race 12 months ago. Order Of St George is already a winner at the highest level, having taken the Group One Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, and, though he was surprisingly beaten into second place when 1-7 favourite for the Irish St Leger earlier this month, he is a genuine contender for Sunday’s race.
Ray Cochrane, Dettori’s agent, felt that the chance of a fifth Arc victory for his rider in 2016 was slipping away on Tuesday, when Fascinating Rock, last year’s Champion Stakes winner at Ascot, was ruled out of the race by his trainer, Dermot Weld, less than 24 hours after the Italian had been booked to ride.
O’Brien has come to Dettori’s rescue, however, and apparently at the expense of his son, Donnacha, who has ridden Order Of St George to victory in two of his last four starts.
Ryan Moore, who was aboard Order Of St George for his most recent outing when he failed to catch Wicklow Brave in the Irish St Leger after being given plenty to do, will ride Found in Sunday’s race, while Seamie Heffernan, a Group One winner for O’Brien aboard Brave Anna in last Saturday’s Cheveley Park Stakes, will partner Highland Reel, who took the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July.
Dettori rode O’Brien’s Camelot, the 2012 Derby winner, in the Arc four years ago, a move which heralded the end of his 20-year association with Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation a few weeks later.
“I’m every bit as thrilled as I was when I rode Camelot,” Dettori said in a blog on the Ladbrokes website on Thursday evening. “I was getting a bit anxious that I might miss out on an Arc ride, so I am delighted that Aidan has asked me to ride for him again.
“Everyone knows Aidan has had this race in mind for my horse for a while and the record of stayers in the race is good. His best form is probably over further, but Marienbard had run in a Gold Cup the year before he went on to win the Arc for me [in 2002] so I know it can be done.”
Davy Russell, who recently signed a contract to ride in Britain for the leading owner Dai Walters, was banned for 17 days by the stewards at Clonmel on Thursday afternoon and could face further action by Ireland’s Turf Club after he to all intents went on strike in protest at the decision.
Russell was first past the post aboard Little Folke in the second race on the card, a maiden hurdle, but his mount was then disqualified and placed second behind Solar Heat, who crossed the line a head behind him in second place, after the stewards decided that Russell’s whip had struck Solar Heat’s head three times in the closing stages.
The jockey was then banned for three days for improper riding and a further 14 days for his conduct in the weighing room after being informed of the stewards’ decision. Russell, who had two more booked rides on the card, then left the course without comment, prompting the officials to pass the case on to the Turf Club for further investigation.
