Will Frankie Dettori ride at Royal Ascot?

Royal Ascot is just around the corner and speculation had circulated as to whether Frankie Dettori will ride at the famed meeting.

Will Frankie Dettori ride at Royal Ascot?

It has been confirmed that there will be no Royal Ascot comeback for Dettori.

The 53-year-old, who added four more winners at the meeting last year to take his Royal Ascot career tally to 81, has also been ruled out from featuring in any television coverage of the five-day fixture.

Dettori outlined plans to hang up his riding boots at the end of 2023 but renounced his retirement in October last year, revealing plans to race in the United States.

He rode six winners in a row at Santa Anita in April, prompting speculation of a potential return to Royal Ascot.

But those rumours have now been dismissed.

Hannah Tufnell, of H Talent Management who represent Dettori, confirmed on Sunday: "Dettori will be at Ascot as a racegoer. He will be enjoying some quality time with family and friends, having his first experience of the meeting out of the saddle."

Frankie Dettori Royal Ascot history

Dettori has ridden 81 winners at Royal Ascot, more than any other active jockey and behind only the great Lester Piggott in the all-time leaderboard.

His first success at the event was on board Markofdistinction in the 1990 Queen Anne Stakes, a race he would land six more times in his career.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the most successful race in Dettori's portfolio. Twice a winner with Drum Taps in 1992 and 1993, Dettori steered Kayf Tara (1998), Papineau (2004) and Colour Vision (2012) to glory.

He was triumphant three years in a row with Stradivarius, before recording his ninth Ascot Gold Cup triumph with Courage Mon Ami in 2023.

Dettori has been named Top Jockey at the meeting on seven occasions.

And his affiliation with Ascot runs deeper than the royal meeting; who could forget Dettori's Magnificent Seven?

The Italian achieved the near-impossible feat of winning all seven races on the card at Ascot in September 1996.

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Jaquob Crooke

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