Racing: Dettori swerves Kentucky Derby
Frankie Dettori is to miss the Kentucky Derby to partner Naheef in the Sagitta 2000 Guineas.
The two races both take place on Saturday week and Dettori will travel to Newmarket to take the mount on Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum’s colt after riding Godolphin’s Imperial Gesture in the Kentucky Oaks the previous day.
Naheef is a 10-1 chance with William Hill for the first Classic on the strength of a successful two-year-old campaign.
He won the Group Three Champagne Lanson Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before finishing runner-up to 2000 Guineas favourite Hawk Wing in the Group One Aga Khan Studs National Stakes at the Curragh.
And he proved his well-being with an easy win in the main Godolphin colts’ trial over a mile at Nad Al Sheba three weeks ago.
Dettori’s 2000 Guineas date means that David Flores will partner Essence Of Dubai for Godolphin in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
The California-based rider will be partnering the three-year-old Pulpit colt for the first time in the ’Run for the Roses’.
Essence Of Dubai, like Naheef trained by Saeed bin Suroor, came from last to first to win the $2m Group Two UAE Derby over 10 furlongs on dirt at Nad Al Sheba last month.
Flores will also have the mount in the Kentucky Oaks on Tempera, who renews rivalry with her stablemate Imperial Gesture. Imperial Gesture defeated Tempera in the UAE Oaks a week ago.
