Frankie Dettori

Frankie Dettori
MBE
Frankie Dettori in 2005
OccupationJockey
Born (1970-12-15) 15 December 1970 (age 53)
Milan, Italy
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Major racing wins
List
Honours
Honorary MBE (2001)
Significant horses
Golden Horn, Grandera, Singspiel, Daylami, Swain, Balanchine, Wilko, Raven's Pass, Electrocutionist, Dubai Millennium, Joshua Tree, Cape Verdi, Kazzia, Blue Bunting, Falbrav, Island Sands, Drum Taps, Kayf Tara, Authorized, Lammtarra, Lawman, Almutawakel, Marienbard, Refuse To Bend, Halling, Sakhee, Sulamani, Aljabr, Shamardal, Scorpion, Conduit, Ramonti, Olympic Glory, Bahamian Bounty, Shalaa, Ouija Board, Lochsong, Fantastic Light, Intikhab, Starborough, Lady Aurelia, Galileo Gold, Enable, Stradivarius.
Website
frankiedettori.com
Frankie Dettori in the parade ring at 'Glorious Goodwood' in August 2004
Frankie Dettori in the parade ring at Newmarket after riding in the 2000 Guineas 2005

Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori MBE (Italian pronunciation: [laɱˈfraŋko detˈtoːri]; born 15 December 1970), is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times (1994, 1995 and 2004) and rode the winners of 287 Group 1 races including 23 winners of the British Classic Races. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Festival of Racing Day at Ascot Racecourse on 28 September 1996.

Born in Milan, Dettori is the son of Italian champion jockey Gianfranco Dettori. At the age of fourteen he went to Newmarket in England to work first as a stable lad, later as apprentice jockey and stable jockey in the yard of Luca Cumani, winning the British champion apprentice jockey in 1989. He was appointed stable jockey for Sheikh Mohammed's newly founded Godolphin Racing in 1994 and during the next eighteen years rode most of his worldwide big race victories in Godolphin's royal-blue colours. In 2000 he survived a light aircraft crash at Newmarket.

At the end of 2012, Dettori split from Godolphin Racing, and was suspended from riding for six months after failing a drugs test in France. From June 2013 to July 2018, he was the retained rider in Britain for Sheikh Joaan Al Thani's Al Shaqab Racing. Since then, many of his winners including Enable and Stradivarius have come from the stables of John Gosden. Dettori announced in December 2022 that 2023 would be his final year of professional riding. In December 2023 he moved to California to continue to race in the United States and on the international circuit.

Outside of racing he has worked in TV, appearing as a team captain on A Question of Sport from 2002 to 2004, and opened several Italian restaurants in partnership with chef Marco Pierre White.