Now approaching the end of his first season in the USA, it’s fair to say Frankie Dettori has made a successful start. That will hardly come as a surprise regarding a rider who seemed likely to revel in the bright lights and razzamatazz of the US racing scene. Nevertheless, the 53-year-old deserves credit for taking to the dirt surfaces, one-dimensional tracks, and flat-out pace of the races like a duck to water.
So far in 2024, Frankie has picked up 12 US contests at Listed Level or above. The Grade 1 duo of the Santa Anita Handicap and Jenny Wiley Stakes top the bill from a class perspective, whilst last weekend saw the popular jockey claim his share of the £830,165 winner’s purse when steering Andrew Balding’s Bellum Justum to victory in the Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs.
Hot on the heels of that successful first visit to the Kentucky venue (Frankie rode two other winners on the card), Dettori is back for more this coming Saturday with another attractive book of rides – including a trio of runners from the Ballydoyle yard of Aidan O’Brien.
The Next Chapter in a Successful Partnership
During his time in Britain, Dettori was most associated with the John Gosden operation, whilst Ryan Moore is the first jockey to spring to mind when you hear the name Aidan O’Brien. However, this won’t be the first time O’Brien and Dettori have teamed up over the years, with the pair combining to land the Oaks and 1000 Guineas in 2021, and the 2005 St. Leger Stakes.
Frankie Dettori will team up with Aidan O’Brien for three rides in races worth $2 million (£1.53m/€1.81m) at Kentucky Downs on Saturday
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) September 4, 2024
With Moore required for assignments closer to home, O’Brien has called upon the services of Dettori once more, and it’s easy to understand why. Unlike most US tracks, racing at Kentucky Downs takes place on turf and, even more surprisingly, is not oval in configuration – featuring one wide sweeping bend, another tight turn, and a kink in the back straight. If there is a US track which may favour jockeys with European experience, this is it.
The Ballydoyle Trio
With a vast squadron of turf talent at his disposal, O’Brien’s ears may have pricked up when hearing news of the prize money on offer at Saturday’s fixture, with the Ballydoyle maestro duly targeting three turf contests on the card offering over £4.5m in total prize money. Having already scored 36 times in major US events, O’Brien will hope the following trio may add to that tally.
Greenfinch – 8:27 Light & Wonder Ladies Marathon Stakes
By US Triple Crown winner Justify and out of a Galileo mare, this three-year-old filly is closely related to the star of the season to date, City Of Troy. Unraced at higher than Group 3 level, she’s yet to hit anything like the heights of the Breeders’ Cup Classic-bound Derby winner but arrives on the back of a career-best Listed success at Killarney. That victory came over a mile, but the “Marathon” of this race’s title oversells what is a 1m2½f contest. Her last effort over this distance saw her finish a fast-finishing second at Listed level at Naas, and she looks primed to go well.
Mountain Bear – 9:41 Mint Millions Stakes
Unlike Greenfinch, who will make her US debut, this isn’t the first trip across the pond for Mountain Bear. Having made his mark at Listed level in Ireland last term, this son of the speedy No Nay Never was handed his first crack at a Group 1 when lining up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. He didn’t win that day but emerged with credit following a luckless runners-up finish to stablemate Unquestionable. Whilst he is yet to score in 2024, he finished a solid fourth in the Jersey Stakes and went down by a rapidly diminishing ½l over this trip in the Group 3 Desmond Stakes last time out at Leopardstown.
Chief Little Rock – 10:55 FanDuel TV Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes
Last but not least, Ballydoyle legend Galileo has the chance to hit the target with his son, Chief Little Rock. As the only three-year-old in the line-up, he benefits from the weight-for-age allowance but must bounce back from a subpar performance in the King Edward VII Stakes. That effort questioned his stamina for this 1m4f trip, but his previous win in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes and third to Bellum Justum in the Blue Riband Trial (both 1m2f) were solid efforts.