22 April 2023 , 14:54
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Frankie Dettori was dramatically unshipped from hot favourite Chaldean in a "freak accident" at Newbury.
Flat racing's famous jockey had been expected to continue his farewell tour with success on the 5-4 favourite. But at the start of the Group 3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes, Dettori fell from the Andrew Balding-trained horse.
Streets Of Gold, positioned next to him in the stalls, appeared to bump Chaldean as the runners were making their exit. Dettori crashed to the ground, as the horse continued riderless, behind the impressive winner Isaac Shelby (15-2).
Explaining what happened, Barry Mahon, spokesman for Chaldean's owners Juddmonte, said: "It was a freak accident. Frankie broke a little slow and the horse beside him came across – and as he did so, hit Frankie's leg and pulled it out of the stirrup.
"The stirrup went and he just went down. He is OK, the horse is fine, he pulled up with the rest of the runners. The main reason we wanted to run him was to give him a day out, just to get him focused and tuned in. He has had all that, he came back with the others.
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"He is a very intelligent horse. There is no harm done, we live to fight another day and are still on course for Newmarket."
William Hill and Coral were among the bookmakers to refund stakes on Chaldean, 5-1 second favourite for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas in two weeks' time. The three-length winner Isaac Shelby, who made all the running, is not entered in the Newmarket Classic.
Brian Meehan's colt is 7-1 (from 20-1) for the French equivalent – and jockey Sean Levey called the result a "good surprise."
"When the loose one [Chaldean] came by me it lit him up, so I ran the majority of the race very keen. I thought maybe we'd done too much going to the furlong marker but nothing showed up," he said.