History will remember Frankie Dettori as one of horse racing’s greatest ever jockeys, but time will eventually catch up with every athlete. At the end of last year, he confirmed that he will retire from the sport at the end of the 2023 flat racing season.
Racegoers should enjoy Dettori’s skills while they can, and he has a great chance to bow out of one of his favorite meetings in style.
A Fitting Finale?
Frankie Dettori has enjoyed great success at Royal Ascot, and he has a number of top class runners lined up for the 2023 festival. Included in that number is Stratum, a horse who is highly fancied to win the very last race of the meeting, the Queen Alexandra Stakes.
Stratum will start as the favorite although it’s tight at the top. Current Royal Ascot odds show Stratum at +300, followed by Vauban at +500 and Trueshan at +600.
Anyone looking for Ascot tips should monitor Frankie Dettori’s performances in the first few days of this meeting. If he starts strongly, he should be well placed to contest the Queen Alexandra Stakes on Saturday. At the same time, we need to look closely at the form of the market leader.
Stratum’s Chances Rated
Trained by Willie Mullins, 10-year-old Stratum is reaching the end of a long racing career. The horse has been tested over the flat and the jumps, and his overall record is mixed.
If we focus on the flat, we find that Dettori’s intended runner has won seven out of 27 races, and has finished in the top three on 15 occasions. Stratum’s most recent run came at Leopardstown in May when he came home in a disappointing eighth place.
It’s not an exceptional record, but the key point is that Stratum has won the last two editions of the Queen Alexandra Stakes. In addition, he hasn’t always had Frankie Dettori on board and, with a top jockey piloting a race in which he excels, he’s an obvious favorite.
Frankie’s Fantastic Ascot Record
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Frankie Dettori came into this year’s Royal Ascot with 77 previous wins at the meeting. The target will be to pass 80 titles and that’s well within his grasp. He has some strong runners, from Tuesday through to Friday including Givemethebeatboys in the Coventry Stakes and Manaccan in the King’s Stand. Those two rides, along with others, should see him pass that milestone of 80 wins.
Unless there is a sudden change of heart, Frankie Dettori will press on with his retirement plans and this will be his last Royal Ascot. Across the five days, he has those opportunities to add more wins to his stunning CV here, but there will be extra attention on the final race of the meeting.
He is a legendary figure in the sport and that legend will build if he wins his final race at Royal Ascot. It’s been a special event for Frankie Dettori and victory in the 2023 Queen Alexandra Stakes will mark a fitting end.
