'It was complete desperation' - trader recalls agony of Dettori's winning streak

Royal Ascot was abuzz on Thursday with punters willing Frankie Dettori to go through the card after he registered a 449-1 four-timer in the first four races, but in the trading office of Ladbrokes Coral it was a very different story.

"I almost broke my hand as I hit the desk so hard," said racing trading director James Knight recalling the moment he saw Dettori's fifth ride Turgenev burst clear in the Britannia Stakes.

Turgenev hit a low of 1.36 in running after looking the likely winner and Knight said: "I don't think I've seen anything like it. You wouldn't want to know some of the language when he went two lengths clear, it was complete and utter desperation watching it.

James Knight (centre): was relieved to see Biometric beat Turgenev in the Britannia

"When Biometric came through everyone was up on their seat cheering – the office has never been so loud. We breathed a sigh of relief."

Knight said a five- or six-timer for Dettori would have been "apocalyptic" for bookmakers, and that the liabilities dwarfed anything seen previously, including those running on to Annie Power when she fell at the final flight in the 2015 Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

He said: "I have been here since 1999 and the liability for Turgenev was the biggest liability I've ever seen – it was at least double any number I've seen before. It was so unpleasant looking at that number and waiting for the race."

Annie Power clips the top of the last and falls in the Mares' HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

He added: "Annie Power was one that everyone talks about and this was at least double that, although that was just Coral at the time [Ladbrokes and Coral merged in 2016]. Turgenev alone was bigger than Annie Power, and it could have been ten times as big if we were waiting for Questionare.

"A loss like that would clearly have had a big impact on our numbers. You don't know how bad it would've been for sure but it would've meant an unprecedented loss for the industry."

Knight was relatively relaxed after Dettori won the opener on 5-1 shot A'Ali but started to get nervous when he partnered 13-2 shot Sangarius to victory in the Hampton Court.

He said: "It wasn't until Sangarius won that we thought we might have an issue. The third race he was in the zone and then winning on Stradivarius felt inevitable."

On reflection Knight believes Thursday's results was a great advertisement for racing.

"Days like those are great for the sport, seeing Frankie in the headlines and punters having winners is what it's all about – but thank God he didn't ride five or six!" he said.

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