Dettori has been named to ride Sharp Lisa in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Wilko in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), and Japanese invader Personal Rush in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). All three races would give Dettori a chance at his first Breeders’ Cup win on the dirt. He has a trio of Breeders’ Cup victories coming into this year, winning the Turf (G1) in 1999 and 2001 with Daylami (Ire) and Fantastic Light, respectively, and the Mile (G1) in ’94 with Barathea (Ire). Dettori ranks 13th among all riders with $5,379,160 in Breeders’ Cup earnings. Overall, he has won three of 30 races in the event, with a pair of seconds and four thirds.
J. Paul Reddam’s and Pablo Suarez’s Suarez Racing Inc. acquired Sharp Lisa after her 6½-length maiden win on September 12 at Calder Race Course and transferred the daughter of Dixieland Band to trainer Doug O’Neill, who saddled her to a second-place finish in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G2) on October 8 at Keeneland Race Course.
Reddam recently purchased a majority interest in Wilko, who has been based in England with trainer Jeremy Noseda. The winning two-year-old son of Awesome Again finished third in the Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-G2) at Ascot on September 25 in his most recent start.
Noseda had been seeking an American-based rider for Wilko.
"After not being able to secure one of the top Americans, that’s the way we have decided to go," Noseda said. "I’m delighted to have Frankie on board. He suits me down to the ground."
Noseda will turn Wilko over to California-based trainer Craig Dollase following the Juvenile.
Personal Rush, a three-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Wild Rush, has raced exclusively in Japan and is coming off a nine-length victory in the $773,670 Derby Grand Prix, one of the country’s top races for three-year-olds. Personal Rush has won five of nine career starts and earned $1,234,820 for owner Tomiro Fukami.
