'Who knows what it will bring' - Frankie Dettori to ride in States over winter

Frankie Dettori has announced he will spend the winter riding in California with the possibility of remaining in the States until the spring.

He has often competed in Dubai in the winter but will be based in Santa Anita before the track's opening meeting on December 26.

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily podcast, Dettori confirmed his plan to race through the winter predominantly on the west coast, but he will also aim to travel across the States for major meetings.

"I'm going to spend the winter in California at Santa Anita, where I started many years ago as a young boy," Dettori said. "I've been doing my winters in Dubai recently, but this opportunity came and I've been getting a lot of requests to come over from trainers, so I thought, why not?

"I'm going to give it a go. It's a place I'm a big fan of and I'm very fond of Santa Anita. I'm looking forward to the challenge and this is the plan for the winter."

'I'll spend a good chunk of the winter there'

Dettori, who is currently in Australia and heads to the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland this weekend for a handful of rides, including Kinross and Mishriff, indicated he would not rule out remaining in the States until the spring should the right opportunity arise.

"I'll spend a good chunk of the winter there and who knows what it will bring," he said. "If you're going to do it, you've got to do it properly and, who knows, I might find a nice three-year-old to head to Churchill Downs [for] on the first Saturday of May.

"I've left all my options open and, you never know, things can take a different path."

The Churchill Downs meeting on May 6 features the Kentucky Derby, which marks the opening leg of the US Triple Crown. However, it is also on the same weekend as the first two British Classics of the season, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

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