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| Frankie Dettori replaced as rider of Arc de Triomphe favourite Treve | Frankie Dettori replaced as rider of Arc de Triomphe favourite Treve |
| (36 minutes later) | |
| Frankie Dettori has lost the ride on the Arc favourite, Treve. In one of the most sensational and unexpected jockey changes in recent turf history the Italian is to be replaced by Thierry Jarnet, who won last year’s Arc aboard the filly when Dettori was injured. | |
| The switch has been made at the insistence of Treve’s Chantilly-based trainer, Criquette Head-Maarek, who believes Jarnet gets on better with the filly, beaten at odds-on in both her races this year, with Dettori aboard both times. “There’s no reason against Frankie,” Head-Maarek said. “I just felt Jarnet won the Arc with her.” | |
| “The first person I talked with was Frankie. He is a very nice man and he said it was my decision and that was it. He’s a great jockey, there’s nothing to do with Frankie, more the filly than anything else.” | “The first person I talked with was Frankie. He is a very nice man and he said it was my decision and that was it. He’s a great jockey, there’s nothing to do with Frankie, more the filly than anything else.” |
| Asked if Treve might have won her two races this year, had Jarnet been aboard, Head-Maarek paused and replied, “No, I won’t say that.” Treve is due to race on Sunday in her prep-race for next month’s Arc and the trainer said: “I expect her to run well and win.” | |
| Dettori remains the retained rider for Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab operation, whose spokesman, Harry Herbert, was at pains to stress that this is “absolutely a one-off scenario”. “It’s Criquette’s choice and she knows it’s been a painful one for Frankie,” Herbert said. | Dettori remains the retained rider for Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab operation, whose spokesman, Harry Herbert, was at pains to stress that this is “absolutely a one-off scenario”. “It’s Criquette’s choice and she knows it’s been a painful one for Frankie,” Herbert said. |
| “But she feels Thierry knows the filly so well and rides her in her work. He is around her a lot and these last two races are so critical, especially the Arc itself, that she requested Thierry ride the filly. She spoke to me and to the Sheikh and felt so strongly about it. She just feels the two of them get on and know one another so well. These small percentages are critical for these big races, especially when you only have two more bullets to fire and very big bullets they are, too.” | |
| Dettori is known as a confidence jockey and there will be some surprise that Sheikh Joaan has not insisted on his internationally famous retained rider being given another chance aboard Treve, who ended last year as the best horse in the world. But Herbert said the jockey had taken the news rather better than might be expected. | Dettori is known as a confidence jockey and there will be some surprise that Sheikh Joaan has not insisted on his internationally famous retained rider being given another chance aboard Treve, who ended last year as the best horse in the world. But Herbert said the jockey had taken the news rather better than might be expected. |
| “Frankie’s been amazing. He’s a remarkable team player. He’s very disappointed but at the same time he knows there’s a lot of very nice horses out there that he’ll still be riding for the Sheikh. There’s Al Naamah, the 5m guineas filly at Chantilly [Tuesday], he’ll be on Osaila in the Moyglare on Sunday and there’s Olympic Glory to come. This is in no way a reflection of what anyone thinks of Frankie. There’s been no falling out, it’s just one of those wretched things. | |
| “I spoke to him yesterday in Turkey, he was riding there and he travelled on to sit down with the Sheikh. He’s pretty philosophical and in good form. He’s loving the job, he’s ridden some fantastic races, like when he won the Prix Morny the other day. I think this job is really suiting him and he looks in great shape.” | |
| There were rumours that Dettori’s demotion might be a result of Head-Maarek taking umbrage at comments he made in the wake of Treve’s defeat at Royal Ascot, when he was quoted as saying: “Something is definitely wrong and it was wrong before the race”. | There were rumours that Dettori’s demotion might be a result of Head-Maarek taking umbrage at comments he made in the wake of Treve’s defeat at Royal Ascot, when he was quoted as saying: “Something is definitely wrong and it was wrong before the race”. |
| But Herbert dismissed such suggestions and said Dettori would continue to ride other horses owned by the Sheikh which are trained by Head-Maarek. | But Herbert dismissed such suggestions and said Dettori would continue to ride other horses owned by the Sheikh which are trained by Head-Maarek. |
| If Dettori finds another mount in the Arc, he will be allowed to ride against Treve, despite having the tactical advantage of knowing her so well. “Theres no way in the world the Sheikh would stop him from riding in the Arc,” Herbert said. | If Dettori finds another mount in the Arc, he will be allowed to ride against Treve, despite having the tactical advantage of knowing her so well. “Theres no way in the world the Sheikh would stop him from riding in the Arc,” Herbert said. |