THIS is the painful moment Frankie Dettori is bashed in the face by a ‘very upset’ horse during a nightmare run in Deauville.
The world’s most famous jockey, 50, finished dead last on joint-favourite Campanelle in the big Group 1 race in France on Sunday.
His race was over the second stalls opened in the mega-money Prix Maurice de Gheest.
The Wesley Ward-trained Campanelle, who was controversially awarded the £198,485 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot despite being second past the post, reared badly.
Dettori was catapulted into the air and also looked close to whacking his head on the bar across the top.
What goes up must come down and it turned out to be Dettori’s face smashing into the back of the three-year-old filly’s head.
Dettori said the impact left him ‘dazed’, as they veered out sharply to the right of the track and never looked like landing a blow in the £193,868 6f race won by Marianafoot.
WHACKED IN THE FACE
Explaining where it all went wrong, Dettori, who recently supported daughter Ella in her first race at Goodwood, said: “She usually has a pony [to lead her to the stalls], so she was very upset today.
“I had trouble getting her to the start. Twice she whipped round and I led her the last bit. Then, behind the gates she was really upset.
“She overreacted to the jump and when she reared, as she landed she hit me in the face and I was a bit dazed.
“But the race was over then, I was already five lengths behind.
“She’s used to a pony and a guy in the gate and she had none of that. It’s just one of those things.”
It turned out to be a disappointing day for much of the British contingent in the race.
Ed Walker’s stable hero Starman finished third after going off the same 9-5 joint-fav price as Campanelle.
Kevin Ryan’s Brando was a place further behind while other home hopes Kinross, Glen Shiel and Rohaan finished fifth, ninth and tenth respectively.
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