Dettori to miss Sakhee mount due to chicken pox

Sakhee's slow-starting 5-year-old campaign took another detour on Wednesday when it was announced that Frankie Dettori will not be able to ride him at Deauville on Saturday due to a case of chicken pox.

Dettori picked up the disease from his children this week and will be replaced aboard Sakhee in the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron by Richard Hills. The Italian rider said he was surprised that he fell ill because he had already had chicken pox as a child, but doctors told him that it was not impossible to get it again as an adult.

Hills is no stranger to Sakhee, having ridden him six times when he was trained at two and three by John Dunlop, including victories in the Thresher Classic Trial and the Dante Stakes.

Illness of another sort has ruled Rock Of Gibraltar out of next week's meeting at York. As coughing continues to plague Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard in Ireland, the six-time Group 1 winner is being given a short break. A virus has already forced Hawk Wing, Sophisticat and Landseer to miss their next intended races.