Rarely out of the news during his long and glittering career, Frankie Dettori continues to hit the headlines in retirement. Late June/early July saw the irrepressible Italian become the topic of conversation twice within a matter of days, for vastly different reasons.
On the 28th of June, Dettori delighted racing fans – and Doncaster Racecourse management – when announcing he would return to the saddle at the St Leger Festival in September. Only four days later, the 55-year-old found himself in hospital, having been involved in a car accident near Newmarket.
Return Announced in Leger Legends Event
One of the true icons of racing in the UK, Dettori rode his first winner in Britain way back in 1987. 36 years later, the man behind the “Magnificent Seven” brought his British career to an end at Ascot’s Champions Day fixture.
Not quite ready to hang up his silks entirely, Frankie rode for two more years in the US before embarking on a brief farewell tour of South America. Finishing with a double in the shadow of Christ The Redeemer at Gavea Racecourse in Rio De Janeiro, Frankie bowed out on a high. Sticking to his word, Dettori took up a new ambassadorial role with Amo Racing with no mention of a return to the saddle.
However, like many big names before him, Dettori couldn’t resist lending his support to the Leger Legends event at the Doncaster St Leger Festival. First run in 2010 and restricted to former professional jockeys, this 1m contest raises funds for the Injured Jockeys Fund. Won by stars such as Mick Kinane and AP McCoy in previous years, Dettori initially turned down the opportunity, but soon had a change of heart. Looking ahead to his return, Frankie stated, “They are making a big thing out of it as it’s the 250th Anniversary of the St Leger and, as the Injured Jockeys Fund is close to my heart, I couldn’t say no.”
The presence of a man who rode over 150 winners at Doncaster is likely to provide a big boost to the event, which has been moved into a new live TV slot on the Friday of the festival. Former rider Andrew Thornton, who helps organise the race, welcomed the announcement: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Frankie. He’s huge box office, and his presence will be an enormous help in raising the profile of the race.”
Other names expected to take part included former jockey and founding member of the boyband Union J, Jamie Hamblett, and 71-year-old Kevin Mooney, who won the Whitbread Gold Cup for the Queen Mother back in 1984. However, Frankie’s participation must now be in some doubt, following an incident near Newmarket.
Broken Ribs, Broken Thumb, and Very Sore
At 7pm on Wednesday 1 July, Frankie Dettori was involved in a car accident near Six Mile Bottom to the southwest of Newmarket. The incident saw his vehicle flipped over and spun, but thankfully, Frankie appears to have escaped serious injury.
Announcing the news to the public, Dettori’s agent, H Talent Management, said:
“We can confirm that Frankie Dettori was involved in a road traffic accident in Newmarket on the evening of Wednesday, July 1. Another vehicle struck the rear passenger side of the car Frankie was driving, causing it to spin and flip.”
Cambridgeshire Police later confirmed that while no arrests were made following the crash, an investigation into the incident was ongoing. The ex-jockey and an unnamed individual were taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, with Frankie suffering several broken ribs and a broken thumb.
Thursday afternoon brought a positive update, with Frankie posting a photo from his hospital bed on his official X account, alongside the following statement:
“Thank you, everyone, for your kind messages and support. A huge thank you as well to the fantastic emergency staff who looked after me. I’m very sore and have a few broken ribs, so I’ll be taking some time to rest and recover. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.”
While leaving Frankie battered and bruised, this incident appears significantly less serious than his previous involvement in an accident. That came back in 2000 when a concussed Dettori was rescued from the burning wreckage of a light aircraft crash by his agent and fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane. While Dettori escaped with a broken ankle, damaged thumb, and superficial cuts, the pilot sadly lost his life in the crash at Newmarket Racecourse.
With broken ribs taking an average of between four and six weeks to heal, Frankie is not yet ruled out of his planned one-race comeback at Doncaster. If there is one rider likely to do everything in his power to return to the spotlight, it is surely the evergreen Italian.