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Frankie Dettori’s manager Peter Burrell expects the popular Italian to “come out fighting” if his professional relationship with John and Thady Gosden comes to an end.
Having enjoyed huge success together over the years, there were clear signs of strain at Royal Ascot last week, with Gosden senior publicly criticising Dettori following his ride on Stradivarius, who finished third in his bid for a fourth victory in the Gold Cup.
The narrow defeat of the Queen’s Saga in the following Britannia Stakes further exacerbated the situation before the brilliant success of Inspiral in Friday’s Coronation Stakes gave the combination a welcome boost.
However, Dettori was not booked to ride any of the Gosden team’s three runners at Newmarket on Saturday, despite being at the July Course to partner the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo in the Listed Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes, owned by his friend Marc Chan.
With no comment from Clarehaven Stables forthcoming, Burrell told the PA news agency on Thursday: “We’re in the dark and searching for answers like everybody else”.
According to reports, Dettori will meet with the Gosden team on Friday and regardless of the outcome of any discussion, Burrell is certain Dettori will bounce back.
“He’s riding in Istanbul on Sunday and he’s got a ride at Newmarket on Saturday. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people out there who won’t be watching him sitting in a weighing room and are only too happy to put him up on their horses,” he said on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast.
“He’s absolutely fired up. As we know we’ve had several peaks and several troughs and that’s when he’s at his most dangerous – he’ll come out fighting. He’s much tougher than people think.”
Burrell hopes Gosden and Dettori can settle their differences amicably, adding: “I’ve known John for a very, very long time and I just don’t see any relationships upset in this way.
“If there is to be an ending, I just wish it would be clean and then everybody can walk through the room and carry on speaking to each other because there’s no point having a row or a fallout – if it’s over it’s over.”
