Prosperous reigns for Dettori in Princess Elizabeth
Frankie Dettori secured a victory on his last Derby day as he steered Prosperous Voyage to success in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
The 52-year-old will retire at the end of the current campaign and after suffering disappointment in his final ride in the Derby, it looked unlikely he would get on the board when Ralph Beckett’s filly exited the stalls untidily and left Dettori sat plum last.
However, the only Group One winner in the field showed her class at the business end of the race as the 6-4 favourite set about working her way into contention before knuckling down to see out the one-mile contest in game fashion.
Prosperous Voyage gets up in time to win the Princess Elizabeth Stakes@FrankieDettori bounces back at the first time of asking#ITVRacing | @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/JQRViIanun
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 3, 2023
Following on from his Group One double on Friday, it was a third victory of the weekend for Dettori on the Surrey Downs and it was fitting the victory came in the colours of Andrew Rosen, who along with co-owner Marc Chan, have been long-time supporters of the Italian.
Dettori said: “My last one! And we won. She was a bit rusty in the spring. To finish on a winner after riding here over 30 years is brilliant. I’m going to enjoy it.
“She always runs pretty forward, but she didn’t jump this time. She smacked her head in the gates and I was last. It was Plan B then. She has been making the running and perhaps she was sick of it, so she was very brave and the gaps were tight. It was a good reference point for Royal Ascot.”
Beckett added: “I’ve always felt she was much better on a straight track and always had a bit of hankering after going a bit further, her pedigree offered strong suggestions she would get a mile and a quarter.
“She has won a Group race this year and it has been a while since she’s won, so that’s good.
“I don’t think a Breeders’ Cup Mile is really her gig. If I was going to go there, it would be to run her in the Distaff.”
He went on: “This will set her up nicely for the Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot. This is her first win for a while, so that’s great.
“She was always going to stay in training but there was no one big target. That was a good effort today. I think first time out she was just a bit lacklustre, and it was soft ground and nine furlongs. She needed it too, and she probably still needed it today. She’s a bit more matronly this year.”
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