Following is an excerpt of an interview with Global Racing Ambassador Frankie Dettori, who sat down with Stake.com to discuss his upcoming retirement from the saddle and his stellar career as a jockey.
Are you Frank Sinatra or Frank Dettori? You keep retiring and coming back!
Listen, I kept my word! I retired in Europe and I did two lovely years in America which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I’ve come to the end of my career, I can’t ride forever and it’s great that Amo Racing has asked me to be their brand ambassador. I have got to know Kia [Joorabchian, Amo Racing] more and more as he has horses in America. We just had a chat and it is going to suit both parties. It was good for me because at some stage, I had to retire. It is good that I have something to fall back on, get my teeth into and stay involved in the sport that I love. It has worked out brilliantly.
How would you reflect on your two years in America?
It was extremely successful in the first year. This year has been a bit of a stop and start. Things didn’t fall right like the year before, but overall, it’s been good. I have managed to win two Group One races this year and we have still got this weekend [the Breeders’ Cup meeting] to go. (Ed. note: his best result was 3rd place on the veteran horse Khaadem in the Turf Sprint.)
I have held my own in America and I am pleased with what I achieved. Overall, satisfactory! I think I did okay.
What do you consider your greatest ever ride?
The one which comes to mind I guess is Golden Horn in the Arc.
The favourite horse you ever rode?
It has got to be Enable and Fujiyama Crest, the last winner of ‘The Magnificent Seven.’ He was the one who broke the record, he lived in my house for another 15 years, so it was great. (Ed. note: “The Magnificent Seven” refers to the extraordinary feat of Dettori winning all seven races on a single race card at Ascot Racecourse on September 28, 1996, at cumulative odds of 25,051-1.)
Next year is the 30th anniversary of that achievement. Will you be marking that in any way?
That was a very important day of my life. It launched me not just as a jockey, but to people who didn’t know about racing. I’m very grateful for the day. I rode my first winner in 1990 and that’s 35 years ago. When you add up the years, you feel, ‘Wow, that is a long time.’ I’m sure somebody will come up with some sort of dinner or something.
The best trainer you ever rode for and why?
The one with whom I had the most wins was Saeed bin Suroor. I did 18 years with him. I had 110 Group Ones for Godolphin.
John Gosden and I then spent nine years together and we were very successful. We won everything together. Those two are possibly the two trainers that I spent most time and was most successful with.
Is there one race you look back on thinking, that one got away?
My main regret was I never won the Melbourne Cup. I came close twice, but I can’t turn the clock back.
Apart from your incredible seven-timer, what’s your main career highlight?
I would say winning six Prix de L’Arc de Triomphes. That’s a pretty hard thing to do with some amazing horses. All the champions I rode in the race were pretty remarkable. I’m pretty proud of that record. I’m sure somebody else will break it at some stage, but at the moment it’s still mine.
Your favourite track outside the UK?
My top three tracks are Ascot, Longchamp and Santa Anita, in that order.
If you were able to sum up your career in three words, what would they be?
I would say exciting, successful and passionate. I’ve been very passionate about what I did all my career and hope people enjoyed it.
Was the body telling you enough was enough?
Of course, Father Time is catching up and of course there is wear and tear on the body. But, like I said, finding this job made my decision much easier.
For the uninitiated, what’s the difference riding on dirt and turf?
Dirt is very fast. It’s a bit like ice skating. If you stop or slide it’s very hard to get going again. Whereas on grass you can stop and start because horses get a better grip on the grass. Horses can accelerate where dirt racing is more of a constant high speed.
What’s the banter like in American weighing rooms?
I was kind of in the European corner with Umberto Rispoli and Antonio Fresu. Then when I moved to Kentucky I had Ben Curtis, Irish, James Graham, Irish, Declan Cannon, Irish, so I was in a bit of an English Irish corner. Then you have the French corner.
There are a lot of cultures. Then you have the Puerto Ricans, and you have the South Americans, it’s a very mixed bunch. You don’t get half an inch from anyone, it’s super competitive. At the end of the day, it’s a very dangerous sport.
Probably the one thing that I will miss when I walk out of the weighing room is all the banter over all these years. When you walk into the weighing room it’s a timeless place. Everybody feels the same age, from the 16-year-old kid who has just started and to some old fella like me at 54. There is no age comparison.
How much have you missed Italy?
My Mum and Dad and my sister are there and of course you miss family. Now I’m going to be closer to them. I’ll have more time to see them. Of course, I miss my own country. I was born in Italy, so it means everything.
Who was the toughest jockey you were up against in a finish? Who did you respect the most?
I started off with people like Steve Cauthen, Wille Carson, Pat Eddery. Then Michael Kinane came on the scene and then Kieren Fallon. All fantastic jockeys and then in later years, Ryan Moore, William Buick, Oisin Murphy and James Doyle. At every stage of my career I had different competitors, different styles, but overall, they were all very talented, very astute and very strong and very clever in executing tactics and power in the finish.
Could you ever see something like a Formula One style Flat racing global series with say ten of the best jockeys competing?
This kind of thing has been mentioned since I started racing more than 30 years ago. It is very hard to get off the ground because of logistics, countries, and jurisdictions. There is potential out there, but just getting it all together seems extremely difficult at the moment.
In another life, if you could come back as a different sportsman, what would it be and why?
Well, I wanted to be a footballer when I was a kid. But I was too small, and I wasn’t that good. Obviously, football is my passion. But I think the ideal job would have been a golfer because you always play in the sunshine apart from at The Open.
What would be your message to your legions of fans around the world who’ve watched you, backed you, enjoyed your racing, now that it has come to an end?
I would like to say thanks very much for your support. I’ve enjoyed interacting with my fans, people that like racing throughout the world and I hope you enjoyed me riding.
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