2 minutes His last appearance at the Churchill Downs event was in 2000, where he finished without a placement on Saeed bin Suroor’s China Visit, well behind winner Fusaichi Pegasus.
Frankie Dettori has secured the ride on Society Man for the upcoming Kentucky Derby on May 4.
Last year, Dettori moved to the US to ride full-time and has often expressed his ambition to participate in America’s most prestigious race. Dettori enjoys an impressive debut in the US. Dettori secured six consecutive wins at Santa Anita, seeing one lucky punter win £110,000 from a £1 bet.
His last appearance at the Churchill Downs event was in 2000, where he finished without a placement on Saeed bin Suroor’s China Visit, well behind winner Fusaichi Pegasus. Now, he returns to the race aboard Danny Gargan’s colt, which is considered a longshot.
Society Man was recently runner-up in the Grade Two Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct. Horse racing early betting odds put him as a 50/1 outsider.
“I’m excited to have him (Dettori),” Gargan told Daily Racing Form. “He’s riding great. I know it’s a race he wants to be in and a race he wants to win.”
Ben Curtis, another jockey formerly based in the UK, will maintain his partnership with Honor Marie, trained by Whit Beckman, following their second-place finish in the Louisiana Derby.
“It was definitely on my to-do list, but it’s come around a bit quicker than I thought,” Curtis shared.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity and on a horse that I think could show up brilliant on the day."
“He was beaten a length last time. A length is easy enough to turn around," Curtis continued. “It’s a credit to Whit and the owners for sticking by me. I’ve had a lot of experience riding around the world. A lot of people in America probably wouldn’t know me, but I have a lot of credentials to my name. I think myself and the horse get along very well. If it’s working, don’t fix it.”
