Frankie Dettori, the Breeders’ Cup, Equinox and Forte feature in our weekly digest of recent international racing news
Frankie Dettori to miss Melbourne Cup with 16-day whip ban
GB: Frankie Dettori will miss the Melbourne Cup after receiving a total of 16 days in whip bans on Saturday [Oct 21] at the Qipco British Champions Day meeting at Ascot on what may have been his farewell appearance on British soil.
Dettori stole the show at Ascot with a double completed in the feature event, the Champion Stakes, on Breeders’ Cup-bound King Of Steel (cross-entered for the BC Turf and Classic). More here
However, he also used his whip once above the permitted level of six strikes in his winning ride on Trawlerman in a G2 contest and when coming second on Kinross. The 52-year-old has been banned for 16 days, beginning on November 7 – the date of the Melbourne Cup.
Dettori has never landed Australia’s most famous race, which was a significant part of Dettori’s worldwide ‘farewell tour’ – before he reversed his decision to retire and announced he would be riding full-time in California in 2024. More here
Breeders’ Cup: 205 horses are pre-entered
USA: A total of 205 horses have been pre-entered for the 40th anniversary Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita on November 3-4 – with Irish maestro Aidan O’Brien leading the way with 13 horses across the 14-race championships, including four entries in both the BC Juvenile Turf and three in the Turf. Todd Pletcher has 12 horses entered, one more than Chad Brown.
Four horses will be seeking to complete back-to-back victories in the same race after scoring in 2022, namely Cody’s Wish (Dirt Mile), Elite Power (Sprint), Goodnight Olive (Filly & Mare Sprint), and Caravel (Turf Sprint).
After their west coast double at Del Mar two years ago, Japanese-trained horses are back in force with a nine-strong team headed by BC Classic pair Ushba Tesoro and Derma Sotogake plus Songline (Mile) and Shahryar (Turf). More here
World #1 Equinox in action in Tokyo
Japan: All eyes will be on Tokyo on Sunday [Oct 29] when world #1 Equinox returns to action in the prestigious Tenno Sho (Autumn), in which he faces a rematch with Do Deuce – his conqueror in last year’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
Equinox, who won last year’s Tenno Sho, has topped Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings for 31 weeks, ever since his hugely impressive triumph in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Unseen since winning the Takarazuka Kinen in June, he will be bidding for his fifth G1 victory on the bounce in Sunday’s ¥475m ($3.6m/£3m) contest, after which the Japan Cup is the four-year-old’s principal target. More here
Forte retired to Spendthrift
USA: Last year’s champion two-year-old Forte, whose juvenile season climaxed in victory at the Breeders’ Cup, has been retired. The son of Violence will stand at Spendthrift Farm for a debut fee of $50,000 in 2024.
Forte sustained a quarter crack in in his near-fore hoof on his most recent outing in the Travers Stakes. “Some probably won’t quite appreciate how special he was because of the bad luck we faced this year,” said trainer Todd Pletcher.
“Obviously, the timing could not have been worse to have the foot bruise that kept him out of the Derby, and we have been battling a quarter crack on a different foot that was going to force us to miss the Breeders’ Cup and all our goals for the fall and winter.” More here
Derby winner Desert Crown put down
GB: Last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown has been put down after failing to recover from the serious leg injury that derailed his four-year-old campaign.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the colt ran only four times in his life, having been unbeaten in three starts when justifying favouritism in the Epsom Classic in June 2022 under jockey Richard Kingscote.
However, the son of Nathaniel fractured a fetlock on the Newmarket gallops in August and, despite efforts to save him, his injuries were too severe and he had to be euthanised. “He was one of the easiest Derby winners I can remember and it’s a great shame that we’ve lost him,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail. More here
Bahrain 2023-24 season kicks off on Friday
Bahrain: The new Bahrain season gets underway on Friday [Oct 27] with an eight-race card at the Rashid Equestrian & Horseracing Club at Sakhir, where all races will be run in memory of HH Shaikh Rashid Bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The 2023-24 season lasts until March 8, with the highlight coming on November 17 with the $1m Bahrain International Trophy, won 12 months ago by Dubai Future for Godolphin. The Bahrain Turf Series runs from December to March, while the prestigious King’s Cup is March 8.
• Visit the Bahrain Turf Club website
Bauyrzhan Murzabayev to rejoin Schiergen team
Germany: Four-time champion jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev will part company with French legend Andre Fabre to return to Germany in 2024, when he is to ride as stable jockey to Peter Schiergen.
The Kazakh, who rode for Schiergen for two years before moving to Chantilly in March, has partnered 60 winners in France this season riding for Fabre. However, opportunities are limited with several of Fabre’s major patrons, such as Godolphin and the Wertheimers, employing their own retained riders. More here
Elsewhere in racing …
Australia: Breeders’ Cup winner Victoria Road features in star-studded Cox Plate More here
USA: NTRA unveils new safety campaign More here
France: Ace Impact to stand for record debut fee of €40,000 at Haras de Beaumont More here
Hong Kong: Entries released for HKIR on December 10 More here
Saudi Arabia: Another prize boost to Saudi Cup card More here
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