Hopes rest on Gosden and Dettori crunch talks in bid to salvage top partnership

Frankie Dettori's camp were on Friday hoping crunch talks with John Gosden could rescue the superstar rider and top trainer's troubled relationship – despite appearing to admit their association was over earlier in the day.

All eyes will be on Dettori at Newmarket on Saturday where he has just one ride – his first since experiencing a chastening time at Royal Ascot, where cracks in the relationship with Gosden came out into the open. Gosden, who trains in Newmarket alongside son Thady, was highly critical of a number of Dettori's rides, chiefly the high-profile defeat aboard Stradivarius in the Gold Cup.

Dettori partners the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo for owner and friend Marc Chan in a Listed fillies' event (2.05) at Newmarket. The Gosden stable also have runners at the July course, but they will be ridden by James Doyle and Robert Havlin.

Gosden revealed on Friday morning that he was due to have talks with Dettori later in the day, and the future of the partnership is believed to hinge on the outcome of those.

'This world's a fragile place'

Dettori's business manager Peter Burrell said the three-time champion jockey was blanked by the Gosden team when he called to discuss the weekend action on Thursday morning, and he seemed to draw a more definitive line on the situation when telling the Nick Luck Daily Podcast that "the writing is firmly on the wall" and "if I were having a bet, I'd say it's over".

However, Burrell, who was in Morocco, later told the Racing Post he was unaware a meeting between the Gosden outfit and Dettori had been planned and suggested the development was "a very positive step".

He said: "That's good news. Frankie did call them as soon as he got into England yesterday morning to say that he was available.

"I hadn't realised then [when speaking to Luck] that they were set for a meeting because I'm minus internet. Now there's a meeting on, that's a very big and good and positive step. I was hoping John would try to put some time aside and hopefully he might have found that time.

"This world's a fragile place and we don't want to stir it more than necessary."

John Gosden and Frankie Dettori: have enjoyed lots of success together over the yearsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Speaking on the Newmarket gallops on Friday morning, Gosden snr, whose stable has provided Dettori with 72 of his 87 rides in Britain this year, said he would be meeting the jockey later in the day. He added: "Frankie was in Italy for a wedding in the week before Royal Ascot. Obviously, he was at Ascot all last week and then he went to Sardinia."

Burrell added: "Frankie got back yesterday morning and is ready to roll. I've spoken to him a lot and he feels good – he's in pukka shape. He had a nice few days with his father after Ascot and has come back all charged and ready to go.

"Going away [after a big meeting] has always been Frankie. For the past 30 years, he's always tried to duck down to Sardinia, which is where he's from, it's his home, and he tries to go twice during the summer every year.

"It's always worked well and the first day back he'd ride three or four winners."

One of Dettori's outside rides this season has been on the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver after Martin Dwyer encouraged connections of the Group 1 winner to book the 51-year-old as his replacement while he is on the sidelines through injury.

Dwyer offered his support to Dettori, and said: "Frankie is a good friend of mine. I saw him on Sunday night and I had a chat with him, but he keeps his own counsel and isn't really one for talking business. I thought it was a bit unfair when he had a microphone shoved in his face a couple of times at Royal Ascot when he didn't really know the whole picture of what's been said.

"It looked like he just wanted to take a breather and have a look at everything. I thought it was hard for him at Ascot and I think everyone could see it wasn't a great ride on Stradivarius. I'm sure he'd say that himself, but it's sad to see it aired in public. That's racing and it's high stakes with high emotions and sometimes these things happen.

"Frankie hasn't said much about it and is trying to be professional, so you have to respect him for that, and him and John Gosden have had a great relationship, so I just hope they're just going through choppy waters and can iron things out and get back to normal."

'He's the Messi of the weighing room'

Whatever the fallout, Dwyer believes Dettori will be determined to bounce back.

He said: "He's still got it and in my opinion and most other people's, Frankie could ride with his eyes closed better than most jockeys in the weighing room. He's proven that, but there is a reason they put rubbers on the end of pencils and that's because everyone makes mistakes, even the great Dettori. He doesn't make many, but when he does it's on a big stage and everyone sees it.

"I had a chat with William [Muir] and the owners of Pyledriver when I got injured and said, 'Why wouldn't you use Frankie? He's the best in the world'. If you were picking a football team, you wouldn't leave Messi out and he's the Messi of the weighing room. It's as simple as that.

"It's very rare he makes mistakes and it just shows he is human after all."

Betfair made Hollie Doyle their 4-11 favourite to replace Dettori as stable jockey to the Gosdens on Thursday, although Paddy Power trimmed James Doyle to 9-2 (from 7) on Friday morning. Spokesman Paul Binfield said: "We've seen a few quid for James Doyle, which is perhaps not surprising as he's obviously taken over from Frankie on Sunray Major at Newmarket."

John and Thady Gosden's next retained rider

Paddy Power:?4-11 Hollie Doyle, 9-2 James Doyle, 7 Oisin Murphy, 10 Colin Keane, 16 David Egan, 20 Benoit de la Sayette, 25 Robert Havlin, 40 Tom Marquand, 50 William Buick

Spotlight view: Dettori's Saturday mount

Lezoo (2.05 Newmarket)

A €110,000 breeze-up purchase last month; made a winning debut at Bath (5f, good) two weeks ago, leading close home and leaving the impression she had plenty left in the tank; should be suited by this extra furlong; promising filly who is a very interesting contender.

Read these next:

'He'll answer his critics' – team behind Dettori's only Saturday ride keep faith

'We'll have to move on' – Dettori in the dark as he loses rides for Gosdens

'Our hero overcomplicated it' – Gosden criticises Frankie Dettori

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.