In his final season of riding at Royal Ascot, legendary jockey Frankie Dettori picked up a ninth victory in Thursday’s 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup (G1), guiding the lightly raced Courage Mon Ami to an 8-1 upset.

Before Panthalassa capped the day in the Saudi Cup (G1), Japan scored two lucrative wins on turf with Bathrat Leon and Silver Sonic, and British raider Mostahdaf romped in the Neom Turf Cup (G3).

Bob Baffert’s dynamic duo of Taiba and Country Grammer will try to have the angles covered between them in Saturday’s $20 million Saudi Cup (G1).

Just 12 years after Yeats won the Gold Cup (G1) for a record fourth time, Stradivarius is in position to emulate that historic achievement at Royal Ascot Thursday. At the opposite end of the distance spectrum, the Norfolk S. (G2) serves as a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2)