FRANKIE Dettori, the fourth most successful jockey in the 26-year history of the Breeders' Cup, is eager to fly the flag for Europe in California this weekend.
The Italian has eight Breeders' Cup victories to his name and put his early-career experience of Santa Anita to good use last year with wins for John Gosden aboard Donativum in the Juvenile Turf and Raven's Pass in the 5million Classic.
He lines
up for this weekend's two-day meeting with seven rides in the bag, and will only need one winner to lie alongside Chris McCarron in third place in the leading jockeys' title.
He said: "The Breeders' Cup is a championship event. I don't just represent myself, I represent the whole of Europe so I am eager to do well to keep our profile and expectation up.
"I love the track here. I used to come here when I was younger and the first couple of years I was pretty much illegal.
"It is nice to be back now with a licence in the back of my pocket which I can flash around. I like the horses, the people and the climate here. It is fabulous racing and I think you would be very hard pressed to find a racecourse as nice as this."
Dettori was speaking as the sun rose over the San Gabriel mountains having had his first taste of the track this year when partnering Gosden's Juvenile Turf contender Pounced in an early-morning exercise.
He will also be aboard Gosden's Dar Ri Me in the Turf, Fleeting Spirit in the Sprint, St Leger winner Mastery in the Marathon and Godolphin's Delegator in the Mile.
The latter has been drawn in stall four, and Dettori continued: "I was delighted with the draw. I would rather be where I am than down the outside. It is not a great draw for Goldikova (the red-hot favourite in berth 11), but I am just going to worry about mine.
"All pretty much have good chances and I am looking forward to it. I am positive but they are still championship races and are hard to win, but it is nice to have horses with a chance.
"We are in the melting pot and hopefully something can come out of it.
"They are not certainties, but they are not outsiders and have live chances.
"I rode the Godolphin horses last week when they had their major works back home. They are just doing routine stuff now.
"I will probably ride Dar Ri Me in the morning and I rode Pounced this morning."
