Frankie Dettori is set to partner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International at York later this month.
John and Thady Gosden’s colt was a brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot but will require a new rider for his next test, with Jim Crowley – retained jockey for owners Shadwell – sidelined by the suspension he incurred for his winning ride aboard Hukum in the King George.
Having enjoyed a Saturday morning spin on the five-year-old, Dettori has been booked to take over on the Knavesmire on August 23.
“John put Frankie on him this morning and said ‘I think Frankie’s the man’, so he will ride him at York,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
“He had a sit on him this morning and seemed very happy with the horse. We’ll try and keep him in one piece and then they’ll both be reunited at York.”
Dettori does not regularly don the famous blue and white silks of the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, but Gold is delighted to have him on board.
He added: “He obviously won on Sakhee back in the day and more recently I remember him winning the Greenham at Newbury on Muhaarar (in 2015).
“He’s ridden plenty for us over the years and it will be very nice to hopefully give him a decent ride in his final year.”
Mostahdaf is the clear second-favourite for the the Juddmonte International with several bookmakers behind the the brilliant Paddington.
With last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown also in contention, a mouthwatering renewal is in store.
“It’s a fantastic race, as it should be. Let’s hope they all there in one piece,” said Gold.
