Dettori to miss Ascot after accepting ban

Frankie Dettori will miss the Royal Ascot at York meeting after deciding not to contest a six-day riding ban.

Dettori was given the suspension for careless riding on Royal Orissa in the EBF D.Kitchen Ltd Handicap at Haydock yesterday.

He edged right on the Derek Haydn Jones-trained runner while towards the rear of the field, interfering with the Fran Berry-ridden Aversham, who took a nasty fall.

Dettori’s ban is to run from June 13-18 inclusive, which covers all five days of the high-profile meeting at the Yorkshire venue.

“No, I’m not going to appeal,” Dettori said today. “It was a freaky accident really. A horse stopped in front of me and I moved to avoid him and the one behind clipped my heels.

“The jockey fell and the horse fell as well – I am just so glad that nothing happened to them. It was one of those incredible things and it was an accident. He was behind me and I didn’t see him.

“I’m glad that Fran Berry is well and that the horse is okay. It’s unfortunate that it happened and I’m going to miss Ascot when we work all year to get horses ready for that meeting.”

Dettori will miss what would have been a top-class book of rides at the Royal meeting, including the scheduled return of last year’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes winner Doyen in either the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes or the Hardwicke Stakes.

The Italian could also have ridden the likes of Monday’s Sandown winner Fight Your Corner or last year’s hero Papineau in the Gold Cup for the Godolphin stable, who retain him.

Sheikh Mohammed, founder of the Godolphin operation, confirmed that second-string jockey Kerrin McEvoy will take the bulk of the rides at Royal Ascot.

“When I saw it I thought thank God nobody was hurt, neither the horse nor the jockey,” he told the BBC.

“The horse was behind him and he (Dettori) did not see him.”

Dettori enjoyed a bumper Royal Ascot last season, notching six winners highlighted by Group One victories from Refuse To Bend in the Queen Anne Stakes and Papineau in the Gold Cup.

He also partnered Punctilious to victory in the Ribblesdale Stakes, Duke Of Venice in the Queen’s Vase, Kheleyf in the Jersey Stakes and Doyen in the Hardwicke.