Flashbacks of Frankie Dettori’s Magnificent Seven have bookmakers running scared as the flamboyant rider sets up a Royal six-timer, according to the Racing Post.
In 1996, the Italian jockey famously rode all seven winners at Ascot and is bidding to follow up with a six-timer at Royal Ascot on Ladies’ Day.
Four victories on the card so far, including a win in the Gold Cup, leave Dettori two rides away from a monumental achievement.
Dettori’s mount A’Ali landed the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at 5/1, followed swiftly by a stunning ride aboard Sangarius who went off at 13/2.
Next was the Ribblesdale Stakes, where Star Catcher, trained by John Gosden, fired home Dettori’s third winner at 4/1.
Reigning Gold Cup champion, Stradivarius, was a red-hot favourite to win back to back renewals and duly obliged in tremendous style at Evens.
A Racing Post statement said: “Bookmakers are now running scared, with Frankie’s final two rides Turgenev and Questionare being cut to short-priced favourites for the final two races of Day 3 at Royal Ascot.
“If you were to back Frankie’s six rides this morning, it would have paid out at odds of 144,144/1.
“Turgenev was available at 12/1 this morning but has since been cut to 5/2, and Questionare, widely available at 10/1, is now a general 9/4 chance.
“Paddy Power tweeted at 4:53pm, suggesting that if Dettori does indeed land the six-timer at Royal Ascot, then it will be the biggest pay out in the history of the company.”
Dettori was also in fine form at Ascot yesterday.
The 48-year-old showed his class once again as he ruled the waves with a memorable double – highlighted by a masterful ride on Crystal Ocean to take the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.
It was the ebullient Italian’s 62nd career winner at the Royal meeting, after he had opened his account for 2019 on Raffle Prize in the Queen Mary Stakes.
Even though he has been one of the most sought-after jockeys in the world for the last 30 years, he revealed he approached trainer Sir Michael Stoute for the ride.
“As soon as I knew Enable wasn’t going to run in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and was going to wait for the Eclipse, I rang Sir Michael’s office and said I was available for the ride,” he said.
“He got back to me the same afternoon and I was delighted he said I’d got the ride.”