The bad blood between trainer John Gosden and jockey Frankie Dettori appears to be over after Gosden says the jockey will ride both Inspiral and Emily Upjohn in their next races.
Three weeks ago, it was announced that the successful partnership was being put on hold after Dettori’s underwhelming performance at Royal Ascot, including the ride on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup, a race the horse won in 2020.
John Gosden announced that there would be a “racing sabbatical” between the pair, leading many racing insiders to conclude that their relationship had broken down. Gosden was apparently unhappy with what he considered a lack of focus from his leading jockey, calling him a part-timer compared to other jockeys.
Friction between the pair was evident after Dettori rode on Emily Upjohn in the Cazoo Oaks at Epsom. The horse slipped at the start and was beaten by Aidan O’Brien’s 15/2 shot Tuesday. The three-year Emily Upjohn had been heavily backed in the market and started the race as the 13/8 favourite.
Dettori took Emily Upjohn for training at the Newmarket July course, which would be repeated in the Irish Classic.
Gosden said: ‘The less we say about Epsom, the better. The track was no problem at Epsom, she didn’t mind the track at all. You just can’t get left and sweep around the whole field. I don’t want to talk about that anymore as it is over and gone.
‘Frankie has been up here riding work. The plan is for him to ride her in the Irish Oaks that’s why he was up here this morning.
‘You know what it is all about. I need a jockey that focuses. It can’t be a part-time job.
‘As it was pointed out at Wimbledon, Rafa Nadal practises the most and the hardest in the mornings. That is what it is all about, and that is very clear.
‘I said I’m pleased the way Frankie has got on with it and getting rides everywhere else. It is exactly what I wanted to see.
‘He has rather taken a lot of pride in how few mounts he has in a season. I’m very clear that working with him in the last seven years we have been very careful how we’ve managed it and the rides. He doesn’t need to be charging off to the small tracks. Those days are over. We did that in the 1990s together but I’m very clear we need to be more focused and a little less part time that is all.
‘That is what it is about and nothing else. That is all I’m going to say.’
The easing of tensions between the pair will be a relief for many punters as the Gosden / Dettori partnership has been hugely successful. The two started working together in 2015, with Dettori riding Golden Horn to six winners out of eight and registering four Group One wins in the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Frankie Dettori has ridden over 38 winners for Gosden in their time together.
