Dettori back with a bang as he embarks on final British campaign

‘I was counting it this morning, I’ve got exactly six months left’.

Frankie Dettori insists he will not start crying just yet, as he began his final season riding in the UK in the best possible fashion when partnering Covey to an easy victory at Newmarket on Tuesday.

Dettori announced in December that 2023 would be his last year in the saddle and the 52-year-old has just returned from a fruitful spell in America.

While there is no denying Dettori’s Italian roots, Newmarket has been his home since 1985 when he arrived in the UK as a teenager and it was fitting that his swansong season began on his doorstep.

The afternoon began in less than auspicious circumstances for him when the fancied Unforgotten trailed home in last in the Close Brothers Handicap.

Then he teamed up with an old pal in Reach For The Moon, who this time last year was intended to be Dettori’s Derby mount before he failed to recover from an injury in time for a Classic bid.

The 2021 Solario Stakes winner now appears to be going in the wrong direction as having made the running early in first-time blinkers, the King’s runner tamely dropped away to also be last.

It was not going well for Dettori – two rides, both last. But then Covey stepped up to the plate in the Alex Scott Maiden Stakes.

Sent off the 5-6 favourite having chased home the potentially smart Zoology at Southwell on debut two weeks ago, Dettori decided to take matters into his own hands.

Dettori has won many a big race from the front and those tactics suited this Juddmonte-owned son of Frankel down to the ground, with the race all but over with two furlongs to run. He ended up an easy four-length winner.

He may be in his 50s and he may have been deprived of sleep, but Dettori is still the biggest draw in racing and the three-times champion jockey received a generous reception on his return to unsaddle.

“I arrived this morning, I slept two hours on the plane and two hours in my bed this morning!” he said.

“I had to start somewhere and I thought this was a good favourite. Reach For The Moon was a bit disappointing, but that’s the game and it’s good to get a win on the board.

“I was counting it this morning, I’ve got exactly six months left. It is six months until October 21 on Champions Day, but I’ve still got plenty to do and I’m not going to start crying yet, I’m going to enjoy it.

“He seemed a nice horse, he did it all on his own and he’s learning still but he felt nice.”

Covey ran out an easy winner
Covey ran out an easy winner (Tim Goode/PA)

Covey is trained by John and Thady Gosden and after their rather public fallout last season, brief as it was, Gosden senior and his jockey appear back on the best of terms.

John Gosden said: “He only landed at 6am so it’s good to put him on a winner.”

Of Covey, he added: “He ran a great race first time, he’s come here, grabbed the rail and did everything nicely, he’ll probably step up to a mile.

“There are no plans, he was a bit sicky last year so he missed last year, but he made rapid progress this year which is the main thing.

“It was only two weeks since his debut and the horse who beat him is entered in the Greenham.”

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