Frankie Dettori raring to go at Lingfield

Frankie Dettori cannot wait to get back in the saddle at Lingfield this afternoon.

Tony McCoy chats to trainer David OMeara after riding Rose of the Moon to victory. Picture: PA

The three-times champion jockey has three booked rides at the Surrey track as he makes his comeback after being sidelined since early October when he suffered a fractured ankle in a fall going down to the start before a race at Nottingham.

Dettori said: “I’ve had three and a half months off and I’m ready to start. I’m looking forward to it. The weather is a bit chilly for me but you’ve got to start somewhere. I’ll be glad to get out of the house. My wife gives me lots of jobs to do so the best way out is to go racing.

“My ankle has healed much, much quicker than myself and my surgeon thought. I’m in good shape and I’m ready to go.

“I’ve been on the treadmill and I’ve been swimming. I’ve been riding out as well, but there’s nothing like racing.”

Dettori’s injury saw him miss out on the winning ride aboard Treve in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October. Teaming up with the Criquette Head-Maarek-trained champion, officially rated last year’s joint best horse in the world, is something he is not yet thinking about . “She is a million miles away in my thoughts right now,” Dettori, the retained rider for Treve’s owner Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, told Betfred TV. “Right now I am thinking about Wednesday and coming back for three rides. Thursday I’ve got a couple of rides in Dubai, one for Sheikh Joaan as well.

“I’d like to get myself going here in England with a few rides and if I have to go back to Dubai I will fly over. It’s time to get going now and I’m ready for it.”

Dettori rides Eco Warrior for John Hills, the Jeremy Noseda-trained Gone With The Wind abd Alexandra Dunn’s Exemplary.

Meanwhile, a possible tilt at the Crabbie’s Grand National or the Coral Scottish Grand National could be on the cards for Rose Of The Moon after David O’Meara’s grey won nicely yesterday in a handicap chase at Wetherby.

The 3-1 chance jumped far and fluently for Tony McCoy and gradually pulled nine lengths clear under hands-and-heels riding.

“He won here last season so obviously likes the place,” said O’Meara. “The key to him is he has to be fresh, so we’ll be bearing that in mind for the future.

“He ran in the Becher Chase so you’d think the Grand National would probably have to come into calculations, with races like the Midlands and Scottish Nationals, too.”