Farewell Classic winner? Guineas hope Chaldean 'definitely' still Dettori's ride

Frankie Dettori's hopes of winning the 2,000 Guineas in his farewell season have been given a major boost after connections of Chaldean confirmed the Dewhurst winner will remain his ride this season.

The son of Frankel has produced his two best performances since Dettori took over riding duties in September, and Chaldean was named Britain's highest-rated juvenile on Tuesday following his success in Newmarket's Group 1 in October.

Dettori announced last month he would retire at the end of the 2023 season and leading owners Juddmonte said the rider would be regularly called upon to ride their horses this year. He famously rode Enable in their silks to two Arc victories in 2017 and 2018.

The Andrew Balding-trained runner, who runs in the iconic colours of Juddmonte, is no bigger than 8-1 for the 2,000 Guineas on May 6 and is also among the leading fancies for the Derby, a race Dettori has won twice.

Barry Mahon, racing manager to Juddmonte, said: "He's [Chaldean] definitely Frankie's ride if he wants it. I spoke with Andrew last week and he was of the same mind, he clicked well with the horse. We're definitely not looking to change as far as Frankie is concerned.

"Frankie's been fantastic for the sport, he's loved and adored around the world. We're looking forward to the next 12 months and we'll hopefully retain his services on plenty of occasions.

"We have a few nice horses with the [John and Thady] Gosdens and Frankie's always our top choice. Hopefully we can contribute to a memorable year for him."

Chaldean (right) wins the DewhurstCredit: Edward Whitaker

Dettori will also head to Saudi Arabia next month after being confirmed as one of four riders set to take part in the International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup meeting.

The challenge consists of top riders competing in four 14-runner handicaps with each race worth $400,000 (£326,800) and a bonus prize of $100,000 (£81,703) for the winning rider. It takes place a day before the Saudi Cup, the world's richest race worth $20 million (£16.3m) on February 25.

Dettori said: "In my final year as a jockey I want to go to as many places as possible and being able to compete in the IJC at the Saudi Cup is a huge event that I'm delighted to be a part of.

"This will be one of my final chances to share a weighing room with some of the world's greatest jockeys, and I look forward to seeing who else I'm going to come up against.

"I know both the dirt and the turf tracks well having ridden in Riyadh quite a lot over the years, and it's a place I enjoy riding. It's also a great warm-up event for the big Group races on the Saturday, and of course the Saudi Cup itself, which I'd love to win."

Four-time Hong Kong champion Joao Moreira was also confirmed along with Caitlin Jones and Chantal Sutherland.

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