Frankie Dettori ends his Royal Ascot career with 81 winners. Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville
The two men under the microscope at Royal Ascot this week were always going to be Frankie Dettori, who left with a bang, and King, who was late in the starting lineup, coinciding only one year, and not the first time these the two came together when Dettori became the first active jockey to join the Royal Procession on Saturday.
Sitting out a fat Coke feast in the world's largest inhabited castle might not make it the most memorable meal of his life. But arriving at the races with his wife Katherine after an eight-mile walk through Windsor Great Park in a four-horse state landau will no doubt be what he remembers most from his last Ascot.
It may not have been the fastest transfer, but he will consider it the best and coolest ride of the week.
Advising that good etiquette meant not waving to the crowd along the route, he sat on his hands the whole way. “One word,” he said, coming out of the landau in a top hat and evening dress. “Surrealistic.”
Royal Ascot 2023 may have taken a day and a little to warm up, but it kicked off Wednesday afternoon when, after several misses the previous day and a nine-day ban for sloppy driving, Dettori missed the mark, overtaking Gregory to success in the Queen's Vase.
From then on, confidence began to flow through both his veins and his reins. The inexperienced Courage Mon Ami won the Gold Cup on Thursday and Porta Fortuna in the Albany Stakes and Coppice handicapped at Sandringham led him to a goal of 80 royal winners and more on Friday.
Dettori's victory in the Ascot Gold Cup on Thursday brought the whole house down. Photo: Getty Images/Chris Jackson
His five runs on Saturday ended in nothing, and his last, Knockbrex, finished closer to last than first, perhaps a useful reminder that race winners here have never been easy.
“I'm so tired,” he said when it was all over. “This week has been so hard, but I enjoyed it. It hadn't dawned on me yet that this was my last Royal Ascot because it was so good. I won the Gold Cup, rode four winners and crossed 80, which is what I wanted to do.
“I'm sure I'll be sad in a couple of days, but right now I'm just too tired. cry if that makes sense. I was sad this morning, but when I got up and started doing things, everything was fine. I went to Windsor Castle for lunch with the king and queen, which I can tell my grandchildren about, and then came here to race five races.
“The whole thing is pretty amazing, hectic, everyone is cheering left, right and center. It was stunning. But I didn't have time for emotions. I will enjoy this moment and look forward to a good beer.
“I didn’t have lunch. I had a full-fat Coke. I looked back and the king didn't eat either. We were both starving. I don't know why, because I was driving and he wasn't. He must be on a diet.
“In the car it was amazing to look at the stands. All the way from Windsor Castle to here, people's love for the royal family, flags, children, picnics by the road. Banners, shouts and applause, it was amazing. Now I'm looking forward to a delicious dinner, take a few days off with my wife, then regroup and start again.
Dettori was invited to join the Royal Procession on his final day at Royal Ascot. Photo: PA Wire/John Walton
“What did Ascot mean to me? Sensational… Sensational. I can still claim to this day that I left second on the all-time list in the world's greatest meeting behind Lester Piggott [116]. I'm sure it won't last longer than next year [Ryan Moore is 79], but I can cherish it for another 12 months.”
If racing had any doubts about the role of king and queen in the sport after being such a passion for Queen Elizabeth II, they had nothing to worry about. It was always said that Charles would not race or ride the royal horses while his mother was still alive because that was her business and he didn't want to step on her heels.
In terms of body language, it's easy to read, more like a book about a ladybug than Shakespeare, and spending all five days of the meeting, he was not only engaged, but also encouraged, enjoying it and even emotional. Looks like he had a ball. Being a monarch isn't all that fun, but I dare say he'll consider Ascot one of the benefits from now on.
Challenges of “Boy Charlie” from the crowd were met with a big smile and the removal of his topper. Of course, it was all a first-time winner for him and the queen in royal silks on Thursday, when the Hero of the Desert won the King George V Stakes by coming onto the line in one of the best finishes of the week.
The sport may have rough waters ahead, and just to draw people in, it will miss Dettori, the showman-jockey. But racing may well keep its moniker “the sport of kings” for the next generation.
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