FRANKIE DETTORI’s historic bid to win every British Group 1 has been scuppered after a whip suspension ruled him out of the July Cup.
The legendary Italian was given an eight-day whip ban for his ride on Inspiral in the opening race at Royal Ascot, the Queen Anne Stakes.
His ban runs from Thursday July 13 to Saturday July 15 and Monday July 17 to July 21, with the July Cup taking place on the 15th.
He isn’t the only high-profile rider to miss the Group 1 race as Oisin Murphy and Daniel Muscutt also copped eight-day whip suspensions.
Dettori was judged to have used the whip once above the permitted level of six from two furlongs out when trying to chase down Triple Time on Inspiral.
As it was a Class 1 race, the ban is doubled, which means his original four-day ban was extended to eight.
Dettori is already serving an eight-day ban from July 4 to July 12 for causing interference on Saga later in the week, a suspension he’s appealing.
He would have arrived to Newmarket with supreme confidence, having enjoyed a stellar time at his final Royal Ascot.
Dettori won four races at the meeting, including another Gold Cup aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Courage Mon Ami.
He also enjoyed wins on Coppice, Gregory and Porta Fortuna, while he also rode a trio of seconds.
The July Cup is the only domestic Group 1 that has eluded the 52-year-old and he was set to pair up with Kinross prior to the news.
The news has left a sour taste in plenty of mouths including Matt Chapman, who tweeted: “Huge suspensions for two champion jockeys at Royal Ascot in Oisin Murphy and Frankie Dettori, seen as one of the great horse people of all time.
“Are the jockeys no good? Or are the penalties crazy? The BHA find it all ‘very encouraging’.”
Another tweeted: “That’s why I so hate this whip rule, it’s nonsense. Ok you can say the rule is the rule but it is still ridiculous.”
A responsible gambler is someone who:
