Dettori set to return to Monmouth, rides Twirling Point in Jersey Derby

Frankie Dettori was supposedly making a pre-retirement tour when he rode in the United States, Dubai, and all over Europe during 2023. Dettori did not retire and has been based in the United States this year, having something of an American tour. Dettori has already ridden in California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, and Maryland in 2024, and on Saturday, he rides at Monmouth Park for the first time since the 2007 Breeders’ Cup. The New Jersey adventure comes courtesy of trainer Jonathan Thomas, who entered six horses on the Monmouth card, including Twirling Point in the featured $100,000 Jersey Derby, with Dettori named to ride all of them.

Twirling Point was cross-entered in the Audubon at Churchill Downs on Saturday, but Thomas on Thursday said the intention was to run at Monmouth.

“He has been keeping some pretty stout company. We’re trying to find a race that’s a little more winnable,” Thomas said.

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This race is eminently winnable. The nine-horse Jersey Derby, run at one mile on turf, came up a soft spot, and Twirling Point is no worse than the second choice.

Twirling Point, owned by George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stables, is 2-1-2 from five starts since Thomas added blinkers for the gelding’s second race. Twirling Point has run to his better form on both turf and Tapeta while displaying tactical versatility. He went wire to wire winning a Santa Anita turf allowance race in February and rallied from 10th in the March 23 Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park to finish third, beaten just a half-length. The Rushaway winner, Trikari, returned to win the American Turf at Churchill, a race in which Formidable Man, second behind Twirling Point in the Santa Anita allowance, was the runner-up.

Twirling Point has been based at Keeneland, where he worked three times in April, but shows a gap in breezes between April 27 and May 18.

Move to Gold will probably be favored for Klaravich Stable, trainer Chad Brown, and jockey Vincent Cheminaud. Shipping from Brown’s string at Churchill Downs, Move to Gold races for the first time since March 9, when he was third in the $75,000 Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay. Wrangled back nearly to last into the first turn of that race, and not particularly happy about it judging from his body language, Move to Gold had a more difficult trip than the two horses who beat him, and after diving inside for the finish, he galloped out a mile in front. Move to Gold won the Awad Stakes on Oct. 28 at Aqueduct to cap a two-start 2-year-old campaign, in an oddly shaped race with a breakneck leader who set a strong pace. Move to Gold looks like a colt who needs a legitimate pace in front of him, and he should get one Saturday at Monmouth.

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