- Dettori Secures Dramatic Final Gold Cup Victory
- Courage Mon Ami Triumphs with Perfectly Timed Run
- Dettori Reflects on Ninth Gold Cup Win and Relationship with Queen Camilla
On Thursday, the finest racing showman of the past three decades ensured a suitably dramatic conclusion to his final Gold Cup. Frankie Dettori arrived on Courage Mon Ami with a precisely timed run to pass the favorite, Coltrane, having begun the final turn one horse behind him.
Dettori struck the air as he crossed the finish line, perhaps in a moment of catharsis after failing to add a fourth Gold Cup victory to Stradivarius’s career record in the previous two races. He received some criticism for his performance after both losses, but his arrival on Thursday was perfectly timed.
Subjectivist and Joe Fanning, the champions of the 2021 Gold Cup, raced to a commanding lead in the early phases of this year’s race, evoking clear parallels with the 2021 Gold Cup.
Stradivarius encountered difficulties while attempting to gain ground in that race, but Dettori was content to remain well off the pace on Courage Mon Ami, who was making his fourth career start and first in any Group race, let alone a Group One.
Subjectivist had been nurtured back to race fitness after sustaining a career-threatening injury a few weeks after winning the Gold Cup, and he ran an excellent race to maintain a narrow lead at the top of the stretch.
Coltrane, however, was not far behind, and he assumed control two out as Subjectivist began to tread water; however, Dettori delivered Courage Mon Ami with a decisive run en route to a three-quarter length victory.
Dettori won his ninth race and 79th meeting, two shy of Lester Piggott’s record.
“I didn’t expect it,” he said. “I’ve owned Stradivarius for the past five years, so the strain was on. John [Gosden, the winner’s trainer] was confident, despite my belief that this horse was a bit of a long shot coming out of a handicap.
“I rode him slowly, and it just happened. I did the splits when I wanted to, and he demonstrated a change of pace.
“In the final half furlong, I was unable to yield to Oisin [Murphy, on Coltrane]. No, we’ve made it this far, so please continue.
“It’s incredible that I won the Gold Cup in my final year. Before his victory, Queen Camilla and I discussed my relationship with his mother, Queen Elizabeth. The following race, I win the Gold Cup, and he hands me the trophy. It’s astonishing, truly astonishing.
“I wanted Courage Mon Ami to perform well because I didn’t know the horse’s ability or if he could remain. Stéphane [Pasquier, on Big Call] kept me in and helped me win the race because I decided to clip the corner and see what would happen. Then it occurred.”
Courage Mon Ami is the third consecutive four-year-old to win the Gold Cup, following Subjectivist and Kyprios. All three may return next year when Courage Mon Ami will require a new jockey.
Gosden will be inundated with applications when the time comes, but he paused to reflect on his long association with Dettori and their brief dispute over some of his riders at this meeting a year ago.
Gosden stated, “He’s had a stellar career.” “We have collaborated intermittently for thirty years. We have had one argument in the past 30 years. How many unions can make that claim?
“After five days, we were winning Group One races in Deauville,” the trainer explains. We had a disagreement, which is acceptable and professional, and we moved on afterward. Consider the outcome today.”
Courage Valiant Force won the first Norfolk Stakes at 150-1, tying Nando Parrado’s three-year-old Coventry Stakes record.
It was the first victory for Amo Racing, which was founded by prominent football agent Kia Joorabchian.
“We knew Valiant Force was a good horse, but I couldn’t believe the price,” trainer Adrian Murray said. “I knew he was much more capable than that, so it made no sense. It’s a fantasy come true.”
