Jockey Of The Week: Flying Frankie Dettori Wins Big 'Cap, San Felipe

There are very few high profile races legendary superstar jockey Lanfranco (“Frankie”) Dettori has not won around the world. The short list became even shorter on Sunday when Dettori won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. 

The win capped a special day when Dettori also won the G2 San Felipe Stakes, leading the panel of racing experts to vote Dettori Jockey of the Week for Feb. 26 through March 3.

The weekly award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Riding for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Dettori was aboard Imagination for the first time in the San Felipe. Off as the favorite in the scratched down field of four, the quartet raced together going into the first turn when Scatify, racing on the rail, came out and bumped Imagination. Dettori took Imagination wide pressing the leader Wine Me Up turning up the backside. The two stablemates then raced in tandem from the three-eighths pole to the wire with Imagination prevailing by a head in a photo finish and a final time of 1:44.55 for the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds.

“My horse got frightened, and I took him back to get him wide to get him to relax and get him back into the race,” Dettori said. “He fought a great duel. He was full of heart.”

Dettori reversed his decision to retire at the end of 2023 to ride at Santa Anita this winter and had a long-held wish to win the G1 Santa Anita Handicap. He first saw the Big Cap as a teenager in the late 1980s when he exercised horses and rode sparingly in Southern California, long before his ascent to international fame.

The wish came true courtesy of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and the mount aboard Newgate.

Off as the second favorite in the field of seven, Newgate raced in fifth with long shot Subsanador in the lead around the Club House turn. Approaching the quarter pole, Newgate collared stablemate Reincarnate and gradually wore down Subsanador to win by a head in 2:03.49 for the 1 1/4-mile race.

“I thought I would get to the line okay and in fairness Subsanador gave me a good fight,” Dettori said. "The last twenty yards we got out in front, and I couldn’t believe it. I could not believe I had done it.

“I rode in the Big Cap for the first time last year and it was a dream,” Dettori said. “And to win it, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It is a big feather in my cap, they don’t get bigger than The Santa Anita Big ‘Cap.”

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Adam Beschizza who won the most races for the week with eight, Irad Ortiz, Jr. with two graded stakes wins at Gulfstream Park, Joel Rosario who won the G3 Gotham, and Luis Saez who won the G2 Fountain of Youth.