Frankie Dettori celebrates Gold Cup success in Royal Ascot swansong

Italian jockey steers Courage Mon Ami to victory to win Group 1 prize for the ninth time

Frankie Dettori celebrates, alongside King Charles III and Queen Camilla, after his victory on Courage Mon Ami in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. PA

Frankie Dettori was the star of the Royal Ascot meeting on day three as he scooped the Group 1 Gold Cup for the ninth time - his final ride in the race - aboard John and Thady Gosden-trained Courage Mon Ami.

The Italian, who will retire at the end of the season, pushed the unbeaten Frankel gelding to win the two and-a-half mile race from Coltrane by three quarter lengths on Thursday.

It was a second victory for Dettori at this year's meeting following success aboard Gregory – for the same Wathnan Racing ownership and trained by the Gosdens – in the Group 2 Queen's Vase.

“It's unbelievable,” the veteran jockey, 54, said. “I thought it was a bridge too far from handicaps to a Group 1 but it was the perfect race. This is what it's all about.

“I thought he [Coltrane] was going to come back and in fairness my horse is still a baby but when the other horse did come back he picked up again.”

Courage Mon Ami is now undefeated in four starts. He is the first winner of the Gold Cup for the Gosden yard since Stradivarius completed a hat-trick in 2020.

“We didn't know if he'd stay – you can't practice two and a half miles at home – but Frankie stayed cool, kept him in the dark down on the inside and saved every inch,” John Gosden said.

“I saw he wanted to go outside in the straight and they all said no, go back in, but luckily he managed to wriggle through. It's a great ride for Frankie and it crowns his week.”

Emotions for Gosden and Dettori were very different 12 months ago when, after the defeat of Stradivarius, the trainer blamed his jockey for "overcomplicating" the ride. He finished third behind Kyprios.

The comments led to a short break of the successful Gosden-Dettori combination before the parties teamed up again a few months later.

“We had one argument in 30 years but we patched it all up after five days and won Group 1s straight away in Deauville,” Gosden added.

“We had a disagreement, that's fine and that's professional but we kicked on with life. Look at the result here.”

Meanwhile, King Charles III claimed his first Royal Ascot winner as the reigning monarch.

Watching the race from the Royal Enclosure, the king saw Desert Hero - wearing the royal silks and an 18-1 shot - win by a short head in the King George V Stakes on Thursday.