WATCH: When Dubai Millennium ruled the roost at Royal Ascot

American Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey got the chance to ride Dubai Millennium after Frankie Dettori had suffered an injury in a plane crash (AFP file)

When the sporting world is now celebrating the 2020 edition of the Royal Ascot races, albeit without spectators amid the Covid-19 pandemic, many a racing aficionado in the UAE could be tempted to relive a race that captured the imagination 20 years ago.
Yes, it's been 20 years since Godolphin's Dubai Millennium produced an exhilarating race to win the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at the Royal Ascot.
Having won the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world, earlier that year, Dubai Millennium's stocks were soaring.
The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Dubai Millennium, ridden by the legendary Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, had won by six lengths over American horse Behrens at the Nad Al Sheba racecourse.
Naturally, Godolphin was brimming with confidence going into Royal Ascot.
But just before the start of the first Royal Ascot festival of this century, Dettori was injured in a place crash. It was then that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gave American jockey Jerry Bailey the chance to ride Dubai Millennium at the Royal Ascot. 

"Royal Ascot, to me as an American jockey, I equate to Saratoga (American racecourse). Ascot represents the same thing. It has so many good races with the very best of horses, in a setting that is just unbelievable," Bailey recalled during an interview with Sky Sports.
"Frankie Dettori was supposed to be there riding for Sheikh Mohammed. Everybody knows how popular Frankie is. He has remained successful till this day. But he was injured in a plane accident.
"So Sheikh Mohammed had called me to come replace him on Dubai Millennium and a handful of others. So that was the reason I was here. That was my opportunity," the American Hall of Fame jockey said.
Despite the stunning win at the Dubai World Cup, Dubai Millennium wasn't the favourite for Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at the Royal Ascot.
Everyone's eyes were on Sendawar who had won four Group One races going into Ascot.
And the turf at the Royal Ascot also turned out to be quite challenging for Bailey.
"It was extremely grueling the last quarter of a mile with the horses going up the hill and finishing and that's what was different to me as a rider. I thought any horse would struggle. I struggled walking it, it was just more demanding," he said.
But once the gates opened, Dubai Millennium got off to flying start.
"The Dubai Millennium was the best horse in the race. All I had to do, at least my mindset was, 'just don't mess it up'. He broke extremely well," the retired jockey said.
"It would seem to me on paper that he would dominate the pace of the race. And once be went to the lead, I decided to spread the race and straightened up for home.
"Many jockeys could have ridden that horse and won, so I don't think it mattered exactly what I did as long as I just I didn't get him in any trouble."
Such was Dubai Millennium's dominance that it led the race from start to finish, winning by eight lengths over Sumitas as Sendawar finished fourth.
"That was one of the highlights of my career. Dubai Millennium was probably the best horse in the world at that time. That's the premier race meet and I am so glad to have done that," Bailey said.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com