• Godolphin jockey lights up Sandown on Gold Cup hope• Carlton House wins Brigadier Gerard for the QueenEpsom will miss the talent and showmanship of Frankie Dettori on Saturday, when he rides at Haydock rather than at the Derby meeting, however racegoers at this high-quality evening meeting loved both to the complete. The Italian was a most well loved winner of the Henry II Stakes on Belief Poll, the 5-4 favourite, prompting a roar when he made his winning go and cheers as he performed a flying dismount.Later he completed a 19-1 double on Cogito, a victory that had particular resonance as he was riding against his regular employers, Godolphin, whose runner was partnered by Mickaël Barzalona. “Go on Frankie, you’re still our number one!” yelled a woman in the first row of the crowd encircling the winner’s enclosure, prompting laughter.Prolonged speculation as to Dettori’s standing within Godolphin had reached fever pitch the previous evening, with misleading activity on Twitter suggesting he had either retired or become second rider to Barzalona, neither of which is fair. After dismounting from Belief Poll, he made a jokey complaint that his dinner had been spoiled by persistent telephone calls from journalists, then evaded further questions.Pressed for his thoughts on the subject of his career, he smiled and said: “Don’t affirm I’m retiring, since I’m not!” It was a border he repeated as he ran past reporters on his path back to the weighing room, then again as he ran outside to the paddock.Godolphin’s spokesman, Simon Crisford, found himself restating the position that rides are immediately shared among Dettori, Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa, the latter pair signed up during the winter to aid with the increasing number of horses in Sheikh Mohammed’s team. “Frankie’s our senior jockey, he’s been with us for 20 years however he will not choose which horses he rides,” Crisford said. “We will choose which ones he rides and Frankie knows that. That was always the same beforehand, if we had two or three horses in a race, so nothing’s really changed. I reckon it’s all been a huge storm in a teacup.”Frankie’s riding bigger than he’s ever ridden before in his lifetime. He’s hungry for it, he went to Brighton today, which is unusual for him [and rode another winner there]. He’s in fantastic form. It’s not an issue for him, it’s not an issue for us however it certainly seems to be an issue for other human beings.”Still, it will be a weird Derby day when Dettori is not much at the track on Saturday. He goes to Haydock for five rides, as Godolphin have no Derby runner, and he will not ride their runner in Friday’s Oaks, Kailani, as Barzalona has struck up a winning association with the filly.The Queen had a major racetrack success to celebrate on the eve of her diamond jubilee, Carlton House landing the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, a Collection Three. The colt’s following target will be the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.Carlton House was widely fancied for at the end year’s Derby however was a disappointing third, followed by a disappointing fourth in the Irish Derby. Since then he has been sidelined by niggling injuries however his trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, immediately hopes these are behind him.”He wanted it,” Stoute said. “He went into a narrow gap. He used up a bit also much energy early on since he was fresh and the gallop wasn’t quite strong enough however he wanted it.”The four-year-ancient is unlikely to be questioned to race beyond 10 furlongs again, Stoute said, though he declined to designation targets beyond the following one.Sir Prancealot was a most impressive winner of the National Stakes, giving his trainer, Richard Hannon, a fourth success in six runnings of the race. “I’d affirm he’s top-class two-year-ancient material, no doubt,” said Richard Hannon Jr, the trainer’s son and assistant. The colt may immediately race in either the Norfolk or the Coventry at the Royal meeting.Frankie DettoriGodolphinMickaël BarzalonaRoyal AscotCarlton HouseSir Michael StouteHorse racingChris Cookguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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