Frankie Dettori’s wait for Melbourne Cup glory continues

For Frankie Dettori, 2023 has been in the main a spectacular year. Announcing at the start of the season that it would be his last on the international horse racing circuit, Dettori has rekindled some of his very best form in the saddle. 

Big wins in the Middle East, Europe and the UK have seen Dettori become the toast of many punter and online betting site and his form has forced him to opt to stay in the saddle for at least one more season in 2024. 

Chasing the Melbourne Cup dream has always been something Dettori has done but a whip ban at Royal Ascot on 21/10/23, has seen him ruled out of the 2023 edition. 

Few wins at Flemington would hypothetically be more popular than a Frankie Dettori triumph at the Melbourne Cup. The charismatic Italian has been producing the results all over the world, for over 30 years and the Melbourne Cup is the glaring omission from his decorated CV. 

However, punters and Aussie bookmakers will be made to wait for at least one more year, with Dettori ruled out of the 2023 Melbourne Cup due to a 16-day whip ban. 

Awesome at Ascot 

Few jockeys worldwide are as synonymous with one racecourse as Frankie Dettori is with Royal Ascot in the UK, with the diminutive Italian having ridden over 100 winners at the iconic track. 

His outing there last weekend was an absolute celebration of all things Frankie Dettori, as it was expected to be his last ever ride on British soil – on Champions Day. 

Inevitably, Dettori writes his own scripts and his two winners at Royal Ascot were met with joyous scenes, amongst bookmakers and punters alike. 

However, it was his win on board Trawlerman which proved to have a sting in the tail. Excessive use of the whip in the dying embers of the race has left Dettori banned for 16-days, which has obliterated his Melbourne Cup hopes in 2023. 

Extending the farewell tour 

At the beginning of 2023, there was an expectation that the 52-year-old Dettori would be calling time on his stellar career and many in the racing fraternity saw it fitting that he would be able to have a world tour to bring his career to a close. 

However, some of the key objectives on the Frankie Dettori farewell tour have not been met, with winning the Melbourne Cup very much one of them. 

Last week, Dettori also announced his decision to stay in the saddle beyond 2023, with the Italian signing a lucrative contract in America to take part in some of the biggest races across the Atlantic. 

Not achieving the Melbourne Cup goal will not sit well with Dettori, the ultimate perfectionist and seeing him at Flemington in 2024 certainly does not seem too inconceivable. 

Seriously big shoes to fill 

The absence of Frankie Dettori from any big flat race across the world is always felt but inevitably, it does present big opportunities to other jockeys to make a name for themselves. 

Not all of the hoops have been confirmed for the Melbourne Cup but jostling for the best rides has already begun, with Craig Williams moving to French ride Lastotchka, leaving Soulcombe under the stewardship of Joao Moreira 

Willie Mullins is not a trainer that would have turned to Dettori, but his great hope Vauban will now be ridden by Zac Purton, with plenty of other big names in the field still to confirm their jockeys. 

It is undoubted that not having Dettori in the mix will provide more questions than answers for punters and they are likely to be governed by the odds being offered out by the prominent Aussie bookmakers. 

Horse racing can be a cruel sport and for Frankie Dettori, the elation of last weekend at Ascot was quickly rebuffed with the news that he will now be banned for the 2023 Melbourne Cup. 

With Dettori not having won the famous Flemington race and in the week that he has announced his intention to keep racing for another season, he may well end up being back in contention in 2024.