Dettori wants to ride at Santa Rosa

He has heard so much about Trinidad that he feels the time has come for him to ride at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.

Dettori rode at the Royal Windsor racecourse in London on Monday night on a six-race card which featured one event sponsored by the Betting Levy Board (BLB) of Trinidad and Tobago.

Although Dettori rode in three races, he was successful in only one, the fifth race aboard Very Far, a USA-bred colt trained by Saeed Bin Suroor at Newmarket.

Dettori has not been very successful at Windsor, according to Hugo Gunning, the person who has been assisting the BLB in promoting events at Pontefract and Windsor. So it was a delight for the thousands when he scored easily aboard Very Far.

There was a roar from the crowd when he took up the running 200 metres out.

When he returned to the parade ring, Dettori was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Glenda Morean-Phillips. He then told Newsday he was happy to score one at Windsor.

Dettori said he had heard so much about Trinidad and wants to ride there one day.

He confirmed having ridden in neighbouring Barbados before, having been invited to do so by one of the prominent owners on the island.

“If the opportunity presents itself, of course, I will come to Trinidad. I heard that race fans in Trinidad love English racing and I am sure they bet on me...at times.

“So, it would be nice to be there so they can see me ride. One day, I promise you,” Dettori told Newsday. The Italian-born rider had no comment to make on the ban on his good friend and rival Kieron Fallon on race-fixing allegations. Dettori then selected a lucky winner from among thousands of entries for a trip for two to the Caribbean.

The BLB sponsored the first race on the card — “To Come Racing at Santa Rosa (Trinidad and Tobago) Fillies Auction Nursery Stakes.”

Former English jockey and tipster David Mould was in the TT booth to give tips to the 70-odd guests invited by the Tourism Development Company (TDC).

The TT guests got off to a terrible start when the pre-race favourite Top Royelle failed to place. This race was won by Yerevan expertly ridden by John Egan.

After the race, High Commissioner Morean-Phillips handed out prizes to the winning connections — the owners, Bellflower Racing Limited, trainer Richard Phillips, and jockey Egan. And a ?50 prize went to groom Nuno Santos for the best turned out horse Ask Don’t Tell, which finished last in the 11-horse race.