Frankie Dettori seals his fourth Dubai World Cup with victory on Country Grammer

Italian joins Jerry Bailey as the most successful jockey to win coveted prize

Frankie Dettori celebrates after guiding Country Grammer to victory in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Pawan Singh / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Pawan Singh / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Pawan Singh / The National

Frankie Dettori wins the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Pawan Singh / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum with Frankie Dettori. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Dubai World Cup on Country Grammer. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Shahryar, ridden by Cristian Demuro, wins the Dubai Sheema Classic. Pawan Singh / The National

Cristian Demuro celebrates after guiding Shahryar to victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Pawan Singh / The National

Cristian Demuro after guiding Shahryar to victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Back to front: Panthalassa, Lord North and Vin De Garde going for the line in a thrilling finish to the Dubai Turf. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Jockeys Frankie Dettori and Yutaka Yoshida after the dead heat between Panthalassa and Lord North in the Dubai Turf. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Lord North, Panthalassa and Vin De Garde going for the line in the Dubai Turf. Pawan Singh / The National

Lord North, Panthalassa and Vin De Garde going for the line in a thrilling finish to the Dubai Turf. Pawan Singh / The National

Tadhg O’Shea celebrates after guding Switzerland to victory in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Pawan Singh / The National

Trainer Bhupat Seemar after Switzerland won the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Tadhg O'Shea celebrates winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen on Switzerland. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Tadhg O’Shea after guiding Switzerland to victory in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi after Switzerland won the Dubai Golden Shaheen. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Crown Pride, ridden by Damian Lane, wins the UAE Derby during the Dubai World Cup meeting. Pawan Singh / The National

Damian Lane celebrates after guiding Crown Pride to victory in the UAE Derby. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Action from the UAE Derby. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Ronan Whelan, left, guides A Case of You to victory in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, March 26, 2022 Pawan Singh / The National

A Case of You, close to the rail, on way to winning the Al Quoz Sprint. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A Case of You, ridden by Ronan Whelan, after winning the Al Quoz Sprint. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Ronan Whelan after guiding A Case of You to victory in the Al Quoz Sprint. Pawan Singh / The National

Christophe Lemaire celebrates after guiding Stay Foolish to victory in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan Racecourse. Pawan Singh / The National

Christophe Lemaire guides Stay Foolish to victory in the Dubai Gold Cup. Pawan Singh / The National

Christophe Lemaire celebrates after guiding Stay Foolish to victory in the Dubai Gold Cup. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Christophe Lemaire guides Stay Foolish to victory in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Ryusei Sakai celebrates on Bathrat Leon after winning the Godolphin Mile during The Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Bathrat Leon wins the Godoplin Mile. Pawan Singh / The National

First Classs, second right, ridden by Ronan Thomas, wins the Dubai Kahayla Classic. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Jockey Ronan Thomas celebrates after winning the Dubai Kahayla Classic on First Classs. Chris Whiteoak / The National

First Classs, left, wins the Dubai Kahayla Classic. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Trophies on display at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Action from the Dubai Kahayla Classic. Pawan Singh / The National

Action from the Dubai Kahayla Classic. Pawan Singh / The National

First Classs, ridden by Ronan Thomas, wins the Dubai Kahayla Classic. Pawan Singh / The National

Ronan Thomas celebrates after winning the Dubai Kahayla Classic on First Classs. Pawan Singh / The National

Frankie Dettori left the best for last to win the 26th Dubai World Cup on Bob Baffert’s Country Grammer at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday.

The Italian reached another milestone in a remarkable career by joining American legend Jerry Bailey as the most successful jockey with four Dubai World Cup winners.

Dettori sent Country Grammer through with a well-timed run to win from Hot Rod Charlie by a length and-a-quarter with Japan’s Chuwa Wizard a further half-a-length behind in third.

Life Is Good led for most of the way but failed to stay the 2,000-metre trip to finish fourth. Bhupat Seemar’s Remorse under Tadhg O’Shea was best of the local runners, finishing sixth behind Midnight Bourbon.

Irad Oritze jumped into the lead On Life Is Good’s first attempt on the trip, and Todd Pletcher’s Into Mischief colt appeared to have his rivals under pressure as the runners turned for home.

However, when Ortiz went to kick clear the distress signals started to show, as Life Is Good wandered around and he was closed down by the chasing pack, led by Country Grammer.

“I have equalled Jerry Bailey now,” Dettori said. “All my other three wins came on the Nad Al Sheba track so it's nice to have a winner at Meydan.

“When the draw came out, I had just wanted to put him on the fence. At the half-mile, I wasn't able to keep on with the front two but in the end they came back to me.

“At the furlong pole, it was surreal as I knew I was going to win. It's just unbelievable. It's like a dream, to have the crowd behind me and I really believed in this horse for [co-owner Amr] Zedan and Bob and it was just great.”

Dettori had previously won the Dubai World Cup on Dubai Millennium, Moon Ballad and Electrocutionist, but this was the first time he had done so in colours other than those of Godolphin.

For Baffert, the success comes at a time when he’s battling racing authorities back home in America on several fronts following Medina Spirit’s positive post-race test for prohibited race day substances when winning last year’s Kentucky Derby.

Baffert’s fourth success in the Dubai World Cup makes him the second most successful trainer after Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor, who has won the prize nine times and also the first trainer to win the title twice in a row with Thunder Snow in 2018 and 2019.

“It’s been a long trip, Frankie just rode him awesome,” Baffert’s assistant Jimmy Barnes, said

“He couldn't have done any better. The speed worked out just as we thought it would, he put him in a close enough spot that when he called upon him, he's a true mile-and-a-quarter horse and it kicked in.

“I give a lot of credit to Bob Baffert for his ability to come back and perform, it's what we do, we're great off a lay-off. I'm just so excited.

“I was here when Arrogate won the Dubai World Cup, so this is my second with Bob and it is very, very special.”

Doug O'Neill, trainer of runner-up Hot Rod Charlie, said his horse had a great run to finish second.

“We're super proud, Leandro Mora and all the guys have been here the whole time and they've done a great job,” he said.

“We wanted to win of course but we're super proud and mid-race we were thinking it just wasn't Charlie's day. He then re-engaged and got up for second so it was a great night.”