FRANKIE DETTORI has been with a 'crazy' ban after stewards discovered he broke whip rules on Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso.
The world's most famous jockey's heart sank when he found out he had copped a 14-day ban.
He thought at the time that would rule him out of riding the German sensation when he defends his title in Paris on October 2.
But the timing means he will be back the day before – leaving him free to ride Marcel Weiss' stable star in the 'world's greatest horse race'.
Dettori landed the suspension after striking 7-10 fav Torquator Tasso one too many times during his shock loss to Mendocino at Baden-Baden in Germany on Sunday.
The limit is five and Dettori hit the horse six times during the narrow head defeat.
Sun Racing columnist Matt Chapman branded the harsh punishment 'crazy'.
But rules are rules – and the ban means Dettori will miss Newmarket's big Cambridgeshire meeting running three days from September 22.
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The news of his suspension initially caused mass panic as Weiss is said to have sprinted to Torquator Tasso's owners, mistakenly believing Dettori was banned for the Arc.
That meant they would have had to find a new rider, with last year's winning jockey Rene Piechulek retained by Mendocino's owner Hans-Gerd Wernicke.
But Dettori, 51, explained: "I got it wrong, the ban starts Sunday."
Speaking of his ride on Torquator Tasso, Dettori said: "We knew it was going to be a falsely run race, that's why I kicked at the 800 [metre mark], to make a race of it.
"It's not his style. He needs soft ground and horses stopping in front of him.
"He didn't run that bad but he needs a race to suit his style, not one with four runners.
"I did everything I could to make a race of it.
"When we go to France with soft ground and a strong pace, we'll be in business. If Rene's horse runs, I'm free."
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