In Frankie Dettori’s final year of riding, it seems apt to reflect on his second Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn, who marked a turning point in the Italian’s career.
2015 Epsom Derby
1st – Golden Horn
2nd – Jack Hobbs
3rd – Storm The Stars
In Frankie Dettori's final year of riding, it seems apt to reflect on his second Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn, who marked a turning point in the Italian's career.
Prior to the Epsom Derby of 2015, Frankie Dettori was suffering a low period in his career. In September 2012, Godolphin announced they would not be renewing Dettori's retainer for the 2013 season. In a partnership spanning eighteen years, the Godolphin operation and Dettori had enjoyed considerable success including three Epsom Oaks wins (Balanchine, Moonshell and Kazzia), two Breeders Cup Turfs (Daylami and Fantastic Light) and two 2000 Guineas (Island Sands and Mark Of Esteem).
Three months later and Dettori was banned for six months following a failed drugs test whilst riding in France in September. He returned to racing in May 2013 and struggled to find rides, despite picking up the role of retained rider for Sheikh Joaan Al Thani's Al Shaqab Racing, which he held from June 2013 to July 2018.
After three difficult years, Dettori restarted riding for old boss John Gosden in March 2015 and was introduced to the Oppenheimer-owned colt Golden Horn. The pair teamed up for the first time in the Listed Feildon Stakes at Newmarket on Golden Horn's seasonal reappearance and recorded an easy victory. Dettori chose to ride stable-mate Jack Hobbs in the Group 2 Dante Stakes and watched as Golden Horn flew past him in the closing stages to win by two-and-three-quarter lengths. It was not a decision Frankie Dettori would make again.
Golden Horn started favourite for the 2015 Epsom Derby and the result never looked in doubt. The colt hit top gear approaching the final furlong and swept past Jack Hobbs to record an easy three-and-a-half length success.
In an interview with Racing TV in 2020, Dettori reflected on Golden Horn's victory and summed up the importance of the win: "I've repeated it many times, but in all my 33 years of riding it is the most emotional feeling I've ever had for a particular race, to the point where I found my body going like jelly, like someone had sapped the energy from me. It was really special.
"It meant a lot, my kids were old enough to appreciate it and two years prior to that I didn't think I'd have another chance to ride such a great horse, so it was very emotional."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a star.<br><br>Golden Horn finishes with a rattle to remain unbeaten and land the 2015 Derby in a memorable triumph under Frankie Dettori. <br><br>Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe glory were all to follow! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RTVFlashback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RTVFlashback</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EpsomRacecourse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EpsomRacecourse</a> <a href="https://t.co/eICoNOlzfX">pic.twitter.com/eICoNOlzfX</a></p>— Racing TV (@RacingTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/RacingTV/status/1661809608531521536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
