Frankie Dettori 'off around the world' but misses out on Melbourne Cup tilt

Frankie Dettori will not bid for an elusive first victory in the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington next Tuesday (4.00) and will instead ride on another lucrative card at Randwick on the same day, his manager Peter Burrell confirmed on Tuesday.

Dettori, who narrowly missed out on glory in the Australian showpiece when runner-up on Max Dynamite in 2015, was also second past the post on his last ride in the race in 2019 on Master Of Reality, before he was subsequently demoted to fourth.

Although he will not attempt to add a Melbourne Cup win to his glittering CV this year, he will be in Australia for Randwick's card in Sydney, which features the inaugural running of The Big Dance – a Quality Handicap over a mile worth A$2million.

According to Australian reports, Dettori will ride the Kris Lees-trained Hosier in The Big Dance, while he has also been booked to ride Welwal for Chris Waller and owners Al Shaqab Racing in Saturday's A$10m Golden Eagle at Rosehill.

"The visa only came through late yesterday [Monday] and it's all been a bit of a mad dash, but it's done now," Burrell said.

"There wasn't a logical ride in the race [Melbourne Cup] and he wasn't going to go to Melbourne. Then this ride came up for Al Shaqab, so it's off around the world he goes again.

Chris Waller: 'It is a huge honour to be training Welwal for Al Shaqab Racing and we are delighted to have secured Frankie Dettori to ride him.'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"The crowd in Sydney are very excited about him coming so it's all worked out well. We just hope the horse runs well as it's a big trip."

French import Welwal has not been seen since finishing tenth behind Vadeni in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly in June and will race for the first time for Waller in the Golden Eagle, in which Dettori reunites with the owners who retained him between 2013 and 2018.

In a statement, Waller said: "It is a huge honour to be training Welwal for Al Shaqab Racing and we are delighted to have secured Frankie Dettori to ride him.

"We feel Welwal has flown under the radar since landing in Australia and will perform better than his odds suggest."

Fellow British-based jockey Jamie Spencer will also ride in the Golden Eagle. He partners Prix Jacques le Marois runner-up Light Infantry, who races for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace for the first time before returning to the UK for Royal Ascot next year.

"It’s probably not something that’s been done too much before," Maher told Racing NSW. "If it wasn't for the prize-money you wouldn’t get a horse of his stature coming out here and racing.

"The owners [Neversaydie and Light Infantry Partnership] had to fork out quite a bit for him, so it’s a big carrot to bank a bit back. David [Simcock, trainer] and his clients were keen to retain a decent chunk of him, but they were also keen to bank some money.

"We had some clients that were very keen on coming out for the Eagle then going back for the Royal Ascot experience. We structured a deal where he comes over to us, comes out for a little holiday, hopefully picks up a big cheque, then packs his bags and goes back to Newmarket."

Read this next:

Marie Velon secures first Group 1 as Iresine returns Gauvin to the big time

'He's our Dancing Brave' - Anamoe paid a huge tribute after Cox Plate triumph

Have you tried the new Racing Post app? Its new game-changing odds comparison allows you to check the price and place terms all on one simple screen. Make sure you get the best price on all your bets! The new app is available here.