Frankie Dettori will make a late decision on whether Gregory or Arrest will be his final ride in Saturday’s Betfred St Leger at Doncaster.

Both horses are trained by John and Thady Gosden, with Dettori having partnered ante-post favourite Gregory to win the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot and finish third under a penalty in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last time.

Dettori, who is planning to retire at the end of the year, was also aboard Arrest when he won the Chester Vase on his seasonal bow, with the Juddmonte-owned colt providing his last Derby ride when coming home a disappointing 10th at Epsom.

The pair then regained the winning thread when stepped up to just shy of the St Leger trip in the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury on his latest run.

Conditions at Doncaster could be key to Dettori’s pick, with Arrest at his best with cut in the ground while Gregory has yet to run on any worse than good going.

The ground on Town Moor is currently described as soft, with Dettori planning to make his call in the morning ahead of final declarations at 10am.

He said: “I’m looking forward to it and it’s a race that has been good to me in the past, hopefully long may it continue.

“I’ll decide who I ride in the morning, let me sleep on it.”

Dettori will be bidding for a seventh St Leger success, having last struck aboard Logician in 2019.

John Gosden would love to provide Frankie Dettori with another memorable leg of his farewell “world tour” when saddling Gregory in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster next week.

Gosden and Dettori have teamed up to win the final Classic of the season twice before, with Shantou in 1996 and Logician in 2019.

The Italian will be seeking a seventh St Leger success overall when partnering Gregory on Town Moor, with Classic Cliche (1995), Scorpion (2005), Sixties Icon (2006) and Conduit (2008) his other triumphs.

Dettori’s final year as a professional jockey has already featured a number of notable victories and Gosden joked: “I think the great world tour is going exceptionally well.

“He rolls into Deauville for one ride and wins the Prix Jacques Le Marois. He wins the Juddmonte International at York, Ascot Gold Cup, 2000 Guineas and he won the Dubai Turf earlier this year as well.

“So, I think the world tour is going extremely well and I’m sure he’d love to cap it off at Doncaster in the final Classic.”

Gosden can boast five St Leger wins himself and will now be chasing a first success since taking out a joint-license with son Thady.

Gregory is regarded by sponsors Betfred as the pick of their four potential runners and he currently heads the outright betting at 3-1.

The son of Golden Horn was a Group Two scorer at Royal Ascot over the Leger distance of one mile and six furlongs in the Queen’s Vase.

He then paid the price for setting too strong a pace when third in the Great Voltigeur at York, but Gosden senior is hopeful of turning the tables on the winner Continuous.

“Gregory went a little quick early in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York,” said the trainer. “When I saw the early fractions, I thought ‘We’ve just gone inside 12 seconds for a furlong’.

“I think there were three of them trying to make the lead in order to boss the race and they all got into a scramble early on. You’re not going to do those fractions over the first three furlongs and finish a race.

“It was obvious where the winner came from, he was 20 lengths out the back. He actually ran a very good race and when Frankie put his hands down, he galloped out well to the line and after the line.

“He came out of the race at York in very good order. If the weather is set fair at Doncaster, that won’t bother him with it being top of the ground.”

Stablemate Arrest warmed up for another possible crack at Classic glory with a comfortable victory in the Group Three Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury.

After running away with the Chester Vase in May, he disappointed in the Derby and at Royal Ascot but now looks back on track, although Gosden would like to see some rain hit South Yorkshire.

He said: “We’re very pleased with Arrest, he took his race very well at Newbury. He’s in top order but I think if it’s good to firm at Doncaster I think you’ll find him heading to Paris for the Prix Chaudenay rather than Doncaster.

“He’s a lovely horse but he rolls his knee and he’ll enjoy more what I call the autumn ground.”

Middle Earth is expected to be supplemented for the St Leger after coming with a late charge to land the Melrose Handicap at York under Oisin Murphy.

“I think Oisin was very impressed with him, he hit the line strong,” added Gosden. “He came from a long way back and finished off his race well.

“He’s been a horse we’ve always liked but we’ve had a few niggles along the way and haven’t quite been able to have a smooth run with him.

“Qatar Racing have won the race before and I think they are game to go. It’s the last Classic of the year and it’s for three-year-olds over a trip.”

Lion’s Pride could be another son of Roaring Lion to represent the Clarehaven team at Doncaster, having beaten Middle Earth at Kempton in July before finishing third at Windsor last month.

Reflecting on that defeat, Gosden said: “It was a trappy race on a difficult track. They went slow and he pulled, then he came on the outside. It was against older horses and he’s learnt a lot from that.

“I think there’s a likelihood he will run in the race as well, after all there’s only one St Leger.”

Connections of Gregory remain positive about his chances of victory in the Betfred St Leger, despite his short-priced defeat at York last week.

Having maintained his unbeaten record in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, John and Thady Gosden’s colt was a warm order to cement his Classic claims with Group Two success in the Great Voltigeur Stakes.

But having cut out much of the running on the Knavesmire under Frankie Dettori, Gregory ultimately had to settle for third place, although he was staying on again at the line.

The son of Golden Horn remains at the head of ante-post lists for the Doncaster showpiece with some bookmakers and hopes remain high within his camp.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to Gregory’s owners Wathnan Racing, said: “We said after Ascot that his main target would be the Leger and that this (Great Voltigeur) was the obvious race to take en route.

“We’d love to have won it, but they went pretty hard up front – those early fractions were pretty fierce. We were initially disappointed, but then you see where the two horses that went with him finished and where he finished.

“Frankie looked after him when his winning chance had gone and actually when he stood up on him, the horse ran on again on his own.

“Back up to a mile and six (furlongs) in the Leger is going to be much more his game. I’ve been in racing long enough not to be overly optimistic as things go wrong and maybe he’s not good enough, but I think he’s going to go there with a big chance.”

Gregory is the 3-1 market leader for the Leger with Paddy Power, with his York conqueror Continuous a 4-1 shot and Desert Hero, who carries the colours of the King and Queen, next in line at 11-2.

Brown added: “He’s come out of the race in great shape, John and Thady are very happy with him, it’s all systems go and we’re looking forward to it.

“It looks like it could be a very good renewal and with the royal runner as well, it’s exciting for racing.”

Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami and his Queen’s Vase-winning stablemate Gregory both remain in contention for the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday.

Courage Mon Ami provided jockey Frankie Dettori with a fairytale final victory in last month’s Royal Ascot showpiece, 24 hours after the Italian had steered Gregory to success in the same colours of owners Wathnan Racing.

Both horses were left in the Group One feature on the opening day of next week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival at the confirmation stage and John Gosden, who trains the pair in partnership with son Thady, is not ruling out the possibility of them locking horns.

He said: “At present, both horses will be left in the race and then we will make a decision nearer the time whether one of them runs or they both run.

“Gregory saw the mile and six furlongs out the other day and I think he will see the two miles out, too. I think he is very much a progressive sort. He is a three-year-old getting the weight in the race, which is a very big edge. We have done it before with Stradivarius.

“Goodwood has its own demands, you swing left right, up, down. It demands a lot of agility from a horse.

“Interestingly enough both horses have won there, though I have to say they looked a bit up in the air galloping at some stages, but they would have learnt a lot from those experiences previously at Goodwood.”

Courage Mon Ami and Gregory were both purchased by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing before Royal Ascot, with Gosden keen to underline the significance to the owners of having big runners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

He added: “It is extremely important, as the owners put a great deal into the meeting. To me it has lifted the whole event, particularly with the sponsorship and presence there. To that extent I think it’s key and let’s hope we can at least be running well for them.

“Goodwood is a great meeting. Let’s face it, you have Royal Ascot, then the July Meeting, and then Goodwood followed by York. They are the huge summer meetings.

“They are very important to the whole fabric of British racing and, in a sense, the British sporting summer, which turned a little soggy in Lancashire with the cricket and the golf in pouring rain. We can’t put a roof on it like centre court at Wimbledon – we’ve just got to get on with it.”

The Gosden team will be well represented across the week at Goodwood, with top-class fillies Inspiral and Nashwa also set to be in action.

Inspiral, who was beaten a neck by Triple Time in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, is set to take on the brilliant colt Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.

Nashwa, meanwhile, will bid for back-to-back wins in the Qatar Nassau Stakes on Thursday week after notching her third Group One win in the Falmouth at Newmarket.

“Inspiral ran a great race on her return in the Queen Anne. She has come on for that and been in great form since,” said Thady Gosden.

“Paddington is a horse who has made rapid progression. He is a horse with plenty of speed and plenty of ability. He won the St James’s Palace and then went on to the Eclipse. That is quite an unusual route but it demonstrates how brilliant he is. It will be tough taking him on but a championship race like the Sussex Stakes is never going to be an easy race.

“Inspiral has a low action and plenty of speed. She is a very strong filly and hopefully the track will prove no problem to her at all.

“Emily Upjohn was taking on Paddington two furlongs below her optimum trip (in the Eclipse), whereas Inspiral will be taking him on at her ideal trip. Paddington is a three-year-old stepping into older miler company for the first time, which is always an interesting one.”

Of Nashwa, he added: “She has taken a bit of time to come to herself this year as can often happen with fillies who are going from three to four.

“You could tell in the couple of weeks after the Hoppings Stakes that she really had taken a step forward. She looked very well in herself before the Falmouth, relaxed during the race and quickened up past some smart fillies.

“She is going to a track that she knows, having won the Nassau last year. She seems in good order and stepping back up to a mile and a quarter shouldn’t be an issue. It is a fast mile and a quarter, which should hopefully play to her strengths.

“Blue Rose Cen is a brilliant filly and this year she has shown what she can do, having won both fillies’ French classics. It will be a different test for her coming over here and taking on some different fillies, but she is certainly a brilliant filly.

“We have to give her 8lb in the race, so we’ll have to see how things go.”

Frankie Dettori was once again the toast of Royal Ascot, as the magical Italian secured the first winner of his final week at the showpiece meeting courtesy of Gregory in the Queen’s Vase.

The 52-year-old announced in December that 2023 would be his last year in the saddle and on so many occasions he has stolen the show at the summer spectacular.

But the opening day was a frustrating one for the veteran rider as not only did he have to make do with the runner-up spot in three races, he also picked up a nine-day suspension for careless riding.

But the betting suggested John and Thady Gosden’s dual winner Gregory would get him off the mark on day two, with punters ensuring he went off an even-money favourite, and Dettori delivered a brilliantly-judged ride from the front to send the packed grandstands wild.

Just for a moment it looked like Gregory could be picked off by Saint George when challenged in the closing stages, but the son of Golden Horn found more for pressure and was ultimately well on top as he passed the post with a length and a half in hand, giving his rider a 78th Royal Ascot success.

“I thought this winner was never going to come this year. I had three seconds yesterday, but I knew this would be my best chance,” Dettori told ITV Racing.

“I was in front a long time and when Oisin (Murphy, on the runner-up) came to me I thought ‘oh no, not second again’. This horse really stuck his neck out though, he was great. To ride a winner at my last Royal Ascot is fantastic.

“It was amazing the reception I got because it is my last season, I couldn’t be happier. I’m both sad and happy, I’ve still got three more days, but at least I’ve got one on the board.”

Gosden senior said of his completely unexposed winner, who is now favourite for the St Leger: “That was a dominant display, he broke well, Frankie got a good position and then he was able to control the pace. When the second came to him he’s gone away again.

“He’s a class horse, we’re aiming for the St Leger and I told the owners before. All being well, touch wood, he might be a Cup horse next season.

“He’ll need to run somewhere before the Leger, so he’ll go in one of the trials. I trained the father (Golden Horn) and the mother (Gretchen), so I know the family very well.”

He added: “It’s absolutely great, Frankie won it in the first furlong because he got him out and got the position. That bend comes very quickly.

“The owners, Wathnan Racing, are new to the yard and that is only their second ever runner at Royal Ascot, so it’s not a bad way to start.”