With a simple ‘ciao, Frankie’, the Hall of Fame riding career of Frankie Dettori will come to end following this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup and a brief adjunct in South America.
The man famous for his star jump dismount and riding the card at Ascot, known as “The Magnificent Seven”, will hang up his saddles for a second and final time at the end of 2025.
“Following the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday, I will be retiring from race riding in the United States and concluding my career with a few rides in South America, something I’ve always wanted to do,” Dettori said in a statement on social media.
“It has been an honour to compete at the highest level of this sport for over four decades.”
“I’m deeply grateful to my family, the owners, trainers, stable staff and, of course, the supporters who have made my career possible.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this incredible journey. Ciao, Frankie.”
Dettori spent 20 years as Godolphin’s number one rider and rode a raft of champions including Dubai Millennium, Shamardal, Fantastic Light, Dubawi, Golden Horn, Stradivarius and Enable.
He had more than 250 Group 1 wins in 15 countries around the world, but never won an Australian Group 1.
His most frustrating search was for a Melbourne Cup winner, which he rode in 17 times with his best results second on Central Park in 1999 and Max Dynamic in 2015. His final ride in the Cup ended in heartbreak with Master Of Reality relegated to fourth after crossing the line second in 2019 and the superstar jockey suspended.
Dettori’s first announced a retirement in 2023 but u-turned on that decision to ride in the United States for the past couple of years.
The 54-year-old will look to add to his 15 Breeders Cup wins at Del Mar, which sit along nine Ascot Gold Cups, six Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, four Dubai World Cups and three Japan Cups.
He was never far from the news away from the track, cheating death in a plane crash in 2020, and getting a six-month ban from French stewards on a drug positive in 2012, which led to the end of his time at Godolphin.
In 2025, Dettori filed for bankruptcy in Britain after a legal dispute over a tax avoidance scheme.
However, he will always be remembered as the sublime showman that took racing to the masses, a once in a generation talent with the flair to go with it.
