If you ask non-fans of horse racing – in Britain at least – to name a jockey, there is likely only one name that most will be able to call to mind. And that name isFrankie Dettori. Dettori has transcended the sport in terms of the size of his fame and popularity. Indeed, there’s a good reason that established punters and casual flutterers alike will look for the mount of the iconic Italian rider when visiting horse racing betting sites UK: Dettori is a huge personality, celebrity and immensely talented and successful rider all at the same time. And the fact remains that, even at 52 years of age and with retirement imminent, the popular star is still riding winners aplenty.
Who is Frankie Dettori?
His name may be known to many, but not all will be familiar with the life, achievements and legacy of the entertaining Italian jockey. Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori was born in Milan to Italian champion jockey Gianfranco Dettori and circus performer Mara. At age 15 the younger Dettori left Italy to pursue a career in racing in the UK. However, his first win on the track actually came in Turin in 1986.
He was soon back riding as an apprentice jockey in the UK and his first win in the country came at Goodwood in 1987. At 19 Dettori had his breakout season, riding more than 100 winners and finishing fourth in the champion jockey list. Dettori would go on to become British flat racing Champion Jockey three times, win 23 British Classic races, and secure wins in other internationally famous events including the Prix l’arc de Triomphe (6 times), Irish Derby, Japan Cup (3 times) and Breeders’ Cup Classic. That’s a rollcall of honours that very very few riders can get anywhere near imitating. It’s a legendary legacy of success.
Fame
But event his incredible track achievements alone would not quite be enough to explain Dettori’s fame to the general public at large. Sure, his incredible success in riding no fewer than all seven of the winners at the British Festival of Racing Day at Ascot in 1996 was one of the most talked about sporting achievements of the decade, but there was more to Dettori. His flying dismount trademark was a staple of Saturday TV sporting programmes, and his joyful and bubbly personality attracted media attention aplenty. A twin-career in media was an inevitability. Sure enough, the Italian went on the become one of the team captains on the popular BBC TV quiz show A Question of Sport and he also opened a chain of Italian restaurants in collaboration with TC chef Marco Pierre White. Dettori, in other words, had become a part of British popular culture.
What next?
Nothing lasts forgever, and so it was when after a sensation career covering more than a third of a century, Dettori announced he would be retiring from the sport. But for a man who has seemingly done it all, are there any ambitions left for the popular Dettori before he hangs up his racing jodhpurs? Well, after the Italian jockey’s last race in Europe at Ascot on 21st October, he plans to ride a few legendary international events. First up is the Breeder’s Cup in the United States, followed by the possibility of Hong Kong. And then, Australia.
“I have never won the Melbourne Cup so that is high on my list and I’m going to give it one last go this year but overall I’ve done everything and won everything I’ve wanted to win and I’m pretty satisfied that I left everything I could on the track,“ Dettori said.
And how did he know that it was the right time to say goodbye? Well, surprisingly it was watching another sporting icon that helped forge the decision in Dettori’s mind? “I was watching the World Cup last year and a great player like Ronaldo, he was on the bench for Portugal. I didn’t want to finish my career not getting the good rides so I thought this was the perfect time to stop and leave my legacy at the top.”
And just as the name Ronaldo will be familiar to many who have never watched a game of football, so Frankie Dettori is known to plenty who have never been near a racecourse. But you can be sure that for the last 36 years if someone was thinking of having a serious wager or casual punt, the Italian’s name would have been a heavyweight decision-making factor when checking the runners and riders.
