Frankie Dettori: The inside track on my rides on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan

The death of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum is very sad news. He was a great man with an amazing passion for racing and one of the most successful owner-breeders we’ve ever had. He’s left a huge legacy behind and he’ll never be forgotten.

I was just an apprentice when Nashwan was all the hype in the late eighties, and a bit later on in my career I was lucky enough to ride the great Sakhee, who Sheikh Hamdan bred. What he achieved is amazing and he was a great man to be around.

I started riding Saeed’s [Bin Suroor] and John’s [Gosden] for Godolphin again last year, and Saeed approached me seeing if I’d be interested to ride a bit more for him in Dubai.

John also had Dubai Warrior out here over the winter, and given the tight COVID restrictions around travel, riding a bit more in Dubai seemed like a good option.

I’ve really been enjoying it, have ridden a good handful of winners and, to be honest, it feels a little bit like a trip down memory lane. I’m 50 now and I’m trying to enjoy every moment a bit more.

Dubai World Cup night has been a very special and successful meeting for me in the past and I’d love to get another big win on the board at Meydan on Saturday.

Two years ago I did a stint in Japan and I landed on this horse. I rode him once and he won really well on the dirt. At the time, I mentioned they should go for the UAE Derby, but he had a setback and was out for quite a long time.

He’s since come back, gone well in his prep run and the owner has really looked after me and asked me to ride him this year. The problem is we’ve drawn gate 15 of 15, but it is what it is and we’ll give it a go.

He ran a super race to finish second in the Nad Al Sheba Trophy, finishing very strongly to suggests the step up in trip will suit.

This doesn’t look the hottest contest on the card and I’d say we’ve got a good chance.

He has a bit to find on ratings with Space Blues, but there’s no doubt he enjoys his time out in Dubai. Meydan is a very flat, slick track and that suits him as he likes to free-wheel along.

Space Blues obviously stands out, but he’s going back in distance so that has to be a question mark.

All of Equilateral’s best form is over 5f, but given the nature of the track I’m be hopeful he can handle the step up in trip. Final Song, who I won on two starts back, is also in the race. She’s a lovely filly who tries very hard.

He ran a very decent race in to finish third in the Saudi Derby. Some of the others in the race might have a slightly more eye-catching profile than him and we’re taking on the Saudi Derby winner Pink Kamehameha again, but there’s plenty of prize money again and I hope to get a piece of it.

He was by no means disgraced in finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf over 1m4f, and he now steps back to 1m1f which is the same distance he won the Cambridgeshire over in 2019.

The concern is that he’s had almost five months off the track, but when I rode him on Thursday morning he felt in good shape.

John is the best and he showed with Mishriff in The Saudi Cup that he can get one ready for a big race like this despite the break.

He’s the highest rated horse in the race so obviously goes there with a big chance, though horses like Lord Glitters, Al Suhail and Land Of Legends have all been running well recently and have to be respected.

I won on him earlier last month and he ticks all the right boxes. He’s done nothing wrong all winter, loves the track and just has a bit to find on ratings.

If he runs his race then there’s no reason he can’t hit the board and win a few quid.

I was asked to ride Great Scot a while back and I took it with both hands. He’s been running very well all winter in Saudi, including finishing third in The Saudi Cup last time out, and I’m very pleased to have a good ride in the race.

The one thing to bear in mind is that the dirt in Meydan is completely different to the one in Saudi. Turf horses can go well on the dirt in Saudi, but this one is a case of you either love it, or you hate it.

Some of the big guns haven’t turned up, we’ve got a nice draw, he’s been in good form and it’s just a question of whether he handles the surface now.

Quarantine is a bit of a nightmare and I’ve still got to work how to get back. Staying a hotel for 10 days requires plenty of patience and I’m not quite sure I’ve got that!

We’ll see how the next week or so plays out and then hopefully get back for the Craven meeting. The way things stand at the moment, I could miss the start of the Craven, but it changes day-by-day so we’ll just have to see.