ASCOT, England — Frankie Dettori performed his trademark flying dismount after riding Stradivarius to a third straight victory at the Gold Cup in a dominant performance at Royal Ascot on Thursday.
Stradivarius joined horses Sagaro (1975, ’76 and ’77) and Yeats (2006, ’07, ’08 and ’09) in winning the prestigious race three or more times since its inaugural edition in 1807.
Dettori was always in control of the race and launched his bid for home with a little over a furlong remaining, when Stradivarius — the 4-5 favorite — sprinted past longtime leader Nayef Road. The winning margin was around 10 lengths.
Dettori celebrated with his famous dismount even though there are no crowds at Ascot this year, for the first time in the history of the meeting, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Italian jockey said after the race he would be back next year to try to tie the record of four straight wins in the Gold Cup, held by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Yeats.