Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride the James Owen-trained Wimbledon Hawkeye in Saturday’s 2025 Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs – as the veteran jockey looks to follow up his win in the race 12 months ago.
Frankie Dettori Looking For Repeat Nashville Derby Win – This Time On Wimbledon Hawkeye
12 months ago, Frankie Dettori teamed up with a British trainer – Andrew Balding – to scoop the Grade 3 Nashville Derby on Bellum Justum and the pocket Italian is back for more in 2025.
Dettori will be getting the leg on another English raider, the James Owen-trained WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE, who is well-known to horse racing fans in Europe.
The 3 year-old landed the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket last September and was 5th in the 2000 Guineas earlier this season.
He was also third to Pride Of Arras in the 2025 Dante Stakes at York and was last seen running a nose second to Merchant in the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
His next outing will, however, be over 4000 miles away in Kentucky, USA – as the son of Kameko will be in action in the 2025 Nashville Derby on Saturday.
Wimbledon Hawkeye is the sole European entry in the 1m 2 1/2 contest this weekend. And will also be the first runner in the US for trainer James Owen.
The race will be run at 10:46pm UK time and 5:46pm local (US) time, with last year’s winning rider Frankie Dettori, who is now based in the US, getting the call to ride.
Dettori will be looking for a famous double in the lucrative race that is worth $2.5m to the winner, having guided home Bellum Justum in 2024.
Meaning, having banked just shy of £300k so far in his career, Wimbledon Hawkeye can super-charge his earning if he can win.
Last year’s winner took home a cool £830,165.35, which will certainly help increase the Frankie Dettori net worth.
Wimbledon Hawkeye Career In Numbers
- Runs: 11
- Wins: 2
- Top 3 Finishes: 9
- Turf Wins: 1
- AW Wins: 1
- Biggest Win: 2024 Royal Lodge (G2)
- Total Prize Money: £282,936
The bookies think Dettori and Hawkeye have a big chance too – with the horse racing betting sites making him the 7/2 morning line favourite.
WATCH: Wimbledon Hawkeye Running Second In The Gordon Stakes
Nashville Derby Runners and Betting Odds 2025
- Hill Road (6/1)
- Test Score (4/1)
- King Of Ashes (30/1)
- Tomasello (20/1)
- Burnham Square (6/1)
- Simulate (10/1)
- Tiztastic (20/1)
- Sandman (5/1)
- Nobel Confessor (20/1)
- Maximum Promise (30/1)
- Final Gambit (8/1)
- Wimbledon Hawkeye (7/2)
- Iron Hand (TBC)
- Native Runner (TBC)
Note: Odds are subject to change
When Is The 2025 Nashville Derby?
📅Date: Saturday 30th August 2025
⌚Time: 10:40pm (UK), 5:40pm (US)
🏇Racecourse: Kentucky Downs (Turf)
💰Purse $2.5m
📺 TV: Sky Sports Racing
Trainers William Mott and Todd Pletcher Have Good Records In The Nashville Derby
Wimbledon Hawkeye won’t have things all his own way though – he takes on a string of US runners, including Amo Racing’s Hill Road.
This 3 year-old Chad Brown-trained runner was a good winner of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont at the Big A earlier this year and has since run well behind the classy Sovereignty twice at Saratoga.
We’ll also see runners for two US trainers that have both won the Nashville Derby twice each.
Todd Pletcher, who landed the prize in 2018 and 2019 when the race was run as the Dueling Grounds Derby, sends NOBLE CONFESSOR to post.
This 3 year-old was a good winner at Saratoga last time out in a Maiden Special Weight – and was also a fair 6th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year.
William Mott is the other barn with a good record in the race – winning the pot in 2015 and 2020 – he runs SIMULATE.
This 3 year-old has won two of his five career starts, but his best performance to date was a second in the G2 Secretariat Stakes at Colonial Downs earlier this month.
DID YOU KNOW? The last two Nashville Derby winners came from gates 5
Nashville Derby Winners (Last 5 Years)
- 2024 – Bellum Justum
- 2023 – Anglephile
- 2022 – Kitodan
- 2021 – Accredit
- 2020 – Moon Over Miami
Note: From 2023 back the race was run as the Dueling Grounds Derby
