🔗 Share this article

The journey has been a thrilling, magnificent and sometimes rocky path, yet now, it appears Frankie Dettori's decision is final. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to enter retirement following the primary events during the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to secure one last top-tier victory to nearly 300 already in his record. The sport might not see a career quite like it again.

An Iconic Figure

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck over the past half-century, Frankie Dettori is recognized by almost everybody, without needing a last name. People know who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In a world which has become fragmented by digital platforms and the internet, Dettori could be the final equestrian personality who will ever enjoy such instant name-recognition across a broad swathe of Britain's people.

His entire career in the sport, in fact, dates back to a time when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted over 10 million audience members, and a three-year stint as a team captain was sufficient to cement him as the lively, unforgettable figure of racing. His last year on the program was 2004, that was also the time when he won the top jockey award for the third and final time. As far as many in the UK, however, he has probably been the champion in most years since.

A Hard-Earned Fame

This is, in many ways, a hard-earned fame, a double-edged reward for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly propelled Dettori onto the front pages, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to win all seven races on the card.

In June 2000, he was rescued from a fiery crash of a small plane by fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, after a crash during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot was killed. When at last concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that too was headline news.

And if everyone loves a winner, they often love a flawed hero and a return all the more. A six-month ban following a positive drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for many riders in their forties, plenty of time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, his 2012 suspension was a bridge to a revived partnership with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Ups and Downs

The public highs and setbacks have been an essential part of Dettori’s story, up to and including the humiliating admission in March that he filed for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that he attempted, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists to the tale, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, generational talent, there would have been no narrative whatsoever.

Early Talent and Instincts

It was evident from his earliest days as a teenage apprentice that there was an instinctive rapport with the horses when Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. In 1990, he became the first teen since Lester Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also announced his arrival at the highest level with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge through unbeaten just six years later. The famous flying dismount, adopted from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has never left him. Nor has the gift of sensing, with almost clairvoyance, where to sit, when to make a move and where openings will appear.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the public face of British racing? It won't be simple to step away completely, whether or not Dettori pursues his expressed wish to accept some mounts in South America, which is something I’ve always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, an ambition that he had mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues means that Dettori will not end his career with enough money in the bank to kick back and take it easy.

New Role and Opportunities

He has been confirmed in a new role as a “global ambassador” with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian's burgeoning Amo Racing operation. He explained to Matt Chapman on At The Races last Friday this was the main reason for his departure now, as well as being able to finish at the Breeders’ Cup. “Such chances are rare, very often. I like the set-up – this is a young team with big ambitions,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian personally, was gushing in his praise for his new recruit on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about elite athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When visiting Royal Ascot, you notice a statue, you know that he’s made a big impact on so many lives across the world.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he’s here to actually work and he will collaborate with us closely. He will participate in every area of our operations though he won't serve as a racing manager. He is a global ambassador.”

Television reality shows is another possibility, though previous appearances on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … have tended to reveal a more somber aspect of his personality, beneath the cheerful public image. On both shows, he was an early exit due to viewer votes.

It may be that Dettori himself does not really know what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his riding career ends. And for at least one more day, he stays an elite professional jockey, focused on three rides at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events in the calendar.

One Last Mount

A five-year-old filly named Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same race where he achieved his initial Breeders’ Cup win in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she needs to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, cue Frankie?