By Jon Lees
Frankie Dettori escaped without injury from an horrific incident in which his mount suffered a fatal injury.
The superstar rider, who quit Britain after 35 years at the end of last season, has moved to California to prolong his hugely successful career. He is currently fourth in the Santa Anita meet standings with 28 wins from 150 rides.
His latest win came on Matanzas Creek in a 6f £50,000 race on dirt on the Los Angeles racetrack on Saturday.
The four-year-old led into the stretch and gradually edged clear of his rivals to win by a length and a half.
However he fell 50 yards after the line, sending Dettori to the deck, and had to be vanned off the track by horse ambulance. Dettori walked back to the jockeys’ room but stood himself down from all further mounts on the rest of the card.
The Tim Yakteen-trained Matanzas Creek, winning for the second time in five starts, did not survive.
Tim Ryan, representing part-owner SF Racing, posted on X: “Matanzas Creek sustained irreparable injuries to his right front fetlock.
“It's a heartbreaking decision to make, but he was euthanized on site. Our hearts go out to the horse and the people who adored and cared for him. Thankfully, Frankie walked away from this tragedy.”
Dettori revealed the decision to prolong his career Stateside at the back end of last year having previously announced he would be retiring from the sport completely. But after admitting he still had 'the fire' to compete he U-turned on his initial decision.
"I don't feel ready to let go yet. I'm going to spend some time in the USA and take it from there. I could be there three months or three years, I don't know," said the Italian-born jockey, who has ridden in Britain for 37 years.
"It was a long, hard decision with myself and my wife. It's a big decision to move to another country."
