The seven days between 13-19 June must have been a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions for experienced trainer John Gosden. Royal Ascot was certainly a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for the 71-year-old, with his veteran stable jockey Frankie Dettori not exactly enjoying his best week in Berkshire of his lengthy racing career.
The Italian was heavily criticised for the majority of his rides throughout the five-day royal meeting, including critique from Godsen, while being served a two-day ban for over excessive use of his whip on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup and failing to get the blindfold of Lord North in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes — completely missing the break and losing too much ground for the second favourite to get back into the race.
A stunning victory aboard Insprial on her reappearance in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes after the three-year-old missed both the 1,000 Guineas the Oaks — two races she was favoured to win in the horse racing betting exchange — on the penultimate day of the prestigious festival perhaps softened the blow of howling week for Dettori. But it hasn’t stopped flat racing punters and pundits alike from questioning his future.
Despite being 51 years of age, the Milan native has not publicly shown any intentions of wanting to hang up his whip just yet. However, that doesn’t mean that Gosden might not evaluate his options at Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket come the end of the season — after all, he has been a harsh critique of Dettori recently, and while he’s always been an expressive handler, there’s no doubt connections will not be happy with their horse’s performances at Ascot.
That’s not the be-all and end-all of this seven-day tale though. Things perhaps went from bad to worse for Dettori as the week came to an end, as Hollie Doyle won the Prix de Diane — the French equivalent of the Oaks — at Chantilly aboard Nashwa. The 3/1 favourite in the horse racing tips, Doyle and Gosden-trained horse won by a short neck as the jockey became the first female winner of a Classic.
There’s a chance that that historic victory in France has sown a seed in the mind of Gosden. While his relationship is second to none with Dettori, and Royal Ascot wouldn’t have change that, he needs to look at things from a business point of view, and it surely won’t be long before Doyle is snapped up as a stable jockey for one of Britain’s best.
That said, Dettori won’t have many years left in the tank either. But if Gosden is to hang on to the Italian for his last couple of years, then he could miss out on Doyle as she will likely be snapped up by then. The 71-year-old was full of praise for the rider, who also became the most successful female jockey in the history of Royal Ascot thanks to the win aboard Bradsell, coming after the Prix de Diane victory.
“Imad [Al Sagar] asked me a few years ago about having a jockey and when he showed me the list, I said ‘Hollie Doyle’,” Gosden said.
“I said horses run for her, she’s very meticulous, a fabulous rider and a very serious person with a great sense of humour. She’s got a bundle of talent and Imad has been rewarded.”
“I’m very proud, as Thady is, because it’s the youth team that are obviously taking over here. It’s quite obvious I’ll be surplus to requirements quite soon, and it’ll be the youth with Hollie and Thady.”
It’s perhaps a quote that is being dissected too much after Dettori’s poor showing at Ascot and Gosden’s public remarks towards his number one jockey. But it certainly seems as if Doyle would be the obvious choice to replace the Italian, either when his racing days are over or when the trainer decides enough is enough, and Doyle would be the deserved recipient of such a fantastic, yet demanding job.