Frankie Dettori is no longer Godolphin's principal jockey. It has taken the racing world some time to digest this but the message has finally got home with the booking of Mickaël Barzalona to ride the team's sole runner in this weekend's Epsom Classics and it was confirmed on Wednesday by Godolphin's spokesman, Simon Crisford.
"Rides will be split across the board," he said in reference to the team's three jockeys, Dettori, Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa. "They will all get equal opportunities. Frankie has to share the cake and he understands that."
Crisford discussed the signing of Barzalona and De Sousa in Dubai in March, when he said: "It's not like there's going to be a pecking order." He was understood to mean that the others would compete for second-string rides behind the Italian but his true meaning now becomes clear.
"We brought in two new, young jockeys and it is obviously important to give them opportunities," he said on Wednesday. "For years Frankie was our only retained jockey. We had other people who would regularly ride for us but it was an informal arrangement. These two jockeys are formally retained.
"I thought we made it reasonably clear at the time that, if any one of them struck up a winning combination with a certain horse, the chances are they are going to stay on that horse. Certainly that's Frankie's understanding of the situation.
It is the first time in 20 years Dettori does not have a ride in the Derby apart from in 2000 when he was recovering after being involved in a plane crash.
Goldolphin are not fielding a runner in the race and Dettori also lost out to Mickael Barzalona for the seat on Godolphin's only entry in tomorrow's Epsom Oaks, the unbeaten filly Kailani.
Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa now rival Dettori for rides at Goldolphin.
He added: "I'm a soldier in a team. I do what I'm told. The boss has the power to decide who rides and I've been a good soldier for the past 18 years.
"Mickael got the ride in the Oaks on the word of the boss (Sheikh Mohammed) and Mahmood Al Zarooni.
"Nevertheless, I then got a call from Coolmore asking if I could ride in the Oaks. The boss said I could if I wanted to. As it happened nothing came of it but it shows I'm in demand."
Dettori has produced 13 winners in his 92 rides this season.
"Rides will be split across the board," he said in reference to the team's three jockeys, Dettori, Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa. "They will all get equal opportunities. Frankie has to share the cake and he understands that."
Crisford discussed the signing of Barzalona and De Sousa in Dubai in March, when he said: "It's not like there's going to be a pecking order." He was understood to mean that the others would compete for second-string rides behind the Italian but his true meaning now becomes clear.
"We brought in two new, young jockeys and it is obviously important to give them opportunities," he said on Wednesday. "For years Frankie was our only retained jockey. We had other people who would regularly ride for us but it was an informal arrangement. These two jockeys are formally retained.
"I thought we made it reasonably clear at the time that, if any one of them struck up a winning combination with a certain horse, the chances are they are going to stay on that horse. Certainly that's Frankie's understanding of the situation.
It is the first time in 20 years Dettori does not have a ride in the Derby apart from in 2000 when he was recovering after being involved in a plane crash.
Goldolphin are not fielding a runner in the race and Dettori also lost out to Mickael Barzalona for the seat on Godolphin's only entry in tomorrow's Epsom Oaks, the unbeaten filly Kailani.
Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa now rival Dettori for rides at Goldolphin.
He added: "I'm a soldier in a team. I do what I'm told. The boss has the power to decide who rides and I've been a good soldier for the past 18 years.
"Mickael got the ride in the Oaks on the word of the boss (Sheikh Mohammed) and Mahmood Al Zarooni.
"Nevertheless, I then got a call from Coolmore asking if I could ride in the Oaks. The boss said I could if I wanted to. As it happened nothing came of it but it shows I'm in demand."
Dettori has produced 13 winners in his 92 rides this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment