Royal Ascot 2023: Tale of two kings as Dettori claims Gold Cup showpiece

By James Toney at Ascot

It was a tale of the two Kings at Royal Ascot, one whose reign has just begun and one whose time on the throne is soon to be over.

King Charles won his first Royal Ascot race as an owner as Desert Hero powered to victory.

And then ‘King Frankie’ claimed the biggest prize of the meeting, snatching the feature race from more fancied rivals as the unexposed and promising John Gosden trained Courage Mon Ami scorched to victory in the Gold Cup.

Frankie Dettori - who retires in October - had promised tears this week and they arrived early, his ninth success in the stayers' showpiece - a race he won three times on the legendary Stradivarius - and a 79th career Royal Ascot triumph.

Knowing when to exit the stage is the hardest skill for even the greatest showman and Dettori is riding better than ever, banking big prize after big prize in recent weeks.

Etiquette be damned, he even stole a kiss from the Queen and then proceeded to toss around the priceless trophy in front of photographers like a football.

Relax, said Frankie. Please don't go, we replied.

“It’s unbelievable, on my last year winning the Gold Cup," he said.

“Nine Gold Cups, what can you say? Amazing, I’m speechless because I didn’t expect it, to be honest with you.

"Myself, The King and Queen Camilla had a talk beforehand about his win and my relationship with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, then the next race I go on and win the Gold Cup and he presents the trophy. It’s amazing, really amazing.

"I got to take my children up there to meet them too and that was a great thrill. They are old enough to understand what I do now. For the last 18 years, they’ve just thought I was a guy on the TV, maybe like Peppa Pig or something!

“It’s my last year, so this is the only chance I had, it’s pretty emotional. The King is a lovely man and Camilla is lovely. It is an honour to be able to ride for them in other races and to win the Gold Cup and be presented with the trophy by them.

"The last five years I’ve had Stradivarius, so the pressure was on. This one I thought was a bit of a chancer coming from handicaps, but John was confident. I rode him cold and it just happened – I got the splits when I wanted to and he showed a turn of foot."

Last year Dettori and Gosden, whose partnership has been integral to the final years of the 53-year old Italian's career, fell out rather publicly and spectacularly at Royal Ascot.

They took a 'break' but soon kissed and made up, racing's odd couple very much back together in the winners’ enclosure this week.

"It's another great ride for Frankie," said Gosden. "It crowns his week – he's only good in long-distance races now! He's had a phenomenal career. Thirty years we've been working together on and off. We've had one argument in 30 years. How many marriages can say that?

"We patched that up after five days, we had a disagreement, that's fine, that's professional, and we kicked on after that and look at this result."

Tom Marquand is one of racing's rising stars - and now the correct answer to a future sporting quiz question.

Marquand is a Champion Jockey in the making and showed all his smarts to power Desert Hero to win a thrilling finish in the King George V Stakes.

But this race was not about how he won but who he won for, Marquand wearing the monarch's famous purple silks.

Some things have changed here since King George V's day, when his great grandson would have been banned from entering the Royal Enclosure as a divorcee.

And yet some things remain reassuringly similar, Ascot is still a quintessentially and bafflingly British occasion of pomp and circumstance with outfits straight from the pages of Bridgerton.

The late Queen inked these five days in her diary before any other - when the State Opening of Parliament clashed with Ascot six years ago, she raced through her speech in double-quick time and still made the first race with a quick change of hat.

She was a winning owner 24 times, pictures of her unrestrained glee at Estimate's Gold Cup win in 2013 is one of the most famous photographs of the world's most photographed woman.

And while her son certainly doesn't share her obsession with the sport, a winner for him in his Coronation year is a big boost for a meeting still missing it's most regal of super fans.

“Genuinely, that is one of my proudest moments in the saddle so far. I grew up watching horses like that win for Her Late Majesty, The Queen, and to ride His Majesty The King's first Royal Ascot winner is unbelievable," said Marquand.

“Honestly, I’ve said it about moments before that it will be hard to top, but genuinely this is … we all grew up watching Ryan win on Estimate and things like that.

"Royal winners at the Royal Meeting are extremely special, especially this one – I think this is a poignant one.

"It's an insanely special day that I think will live high in my career, probably at the top, for the rest of my days in the saddle."