Frankie Dettori will not be riding for John Gosden for the foreseeable future as the pair are on a "sabbatical", according to the trainer; Dettori was not put on any of Gosden's horses running at Newmarket this weekend after criticism at Royal Ascot
Friday 24 June 2022 21:06, UK
John Gosden and Frankie Dettori have agreed to "take a sabbatical" from their association following a meeting at the trainer's Clarehaven base in Newmarket.
Speculation about the relationship was prompted by the decision of Gosden and his co-trainer and son Thady not to book Dettori for three rides at Newmarket on Saturday.
Dettori had been on holiday since the end of Royal Ascot last Saturday and Gosden wanted to discuss the decision in person.
Gosden said in a statement: "Following speculation in the press, Frankie and I have amicably decided to take a sabbatical from the trainer/jockey relationship but we remain the closest of friends and colleagues.
"Frankie has been - and always will be - one of the family here so I wanted to meet face to face after he returned from his post Ascot holiday.
"Frankie is the most superb international jockey and, together, we have achieved significant successes at various times over the last three decades with a number of horses including, most recently, Golden Horn, Enable, Palace Pier, Too Darn Hot and Stradivarius.
"I do not intend to appoint a stable jockey at Clarehaven."
Having enjoyed huge success together over the years, there were clear signs of strain at Royal Ascot last week, with Gosden senior publicly criticising Dettori following his ride on Stradivarius, who finished third in his bid for a fourth victory in the Gold Cup.
The narrow defeat of the Queen's Saga in the following Britannia Stakes further exacerbated the situation before the brilliant success of Inspiral in Friday's Coronation Stakes gave the combination a welcome boost.
But the win does not appear to have smoothed over everything and Dettori will not be riding for Gosden for the foreseeable future.
Speaking ahead of Gosden's announcement, Dettori's manager Peter Burrell said he expects the popular Italian to "come out fighting".
"He's riding in Istanbul on Sunday and he's got a ride at Newmarket on Saturday. I'm sure there'll be plenty of people out there who won't be watching him sitting in a weighing room and are only too happy to put him up on their horses," said Burrell on Nick Luck's Daily Podcast.
"He's absolutely fired up. As we know we've had several peaks and several troughs and that's when he's at his most dangerous - he'll come out fighting. He's much tougher than people think."
