British flat racing fans have witnessed many sublime talents in the saddle over the years. In the post-1970 pattern-race era, Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Pat Eddery, Kieren Fallon, and Ryan Moore are among those to have etched their name into racing legend. However, with the possible exception of Piggott, none of those riders have made much of a splash outside of the racing world.
To capture the imagination of the public at large, a jockey needs not only talent but also box office star quality. In the long history of British racing, no rider has combined those attributes to such spectacular effect as Lanfranco “Frankie” Dettori. From humble beginnings as a Newmarket stable lad, the irrepressible Italian went on to become the face of racing for over three decades.
The Early Years
Born in Milan on 15 December 1970, Frankie was certainly bred for racing success – his father, Gianfranco Dettori, was Champion Jockey in Italy on no fewer than 13 occasions.
Bitten by the racing bug when gifted a Palomino pony, Frankie’s first competitive outing suggested the racing genes may have skipped a generation. Lining up aboard his beloved pony, Sylvia, Frankie celebrated finishing dead last by falling off the Palomino soon after the finish line. Things would get significantly better from there.
Arriving in Newmarket
At the age of 14, and with no great grasp of English (or appreciation of British cuisine), Frankie made the bold decision to head to Newmarket to pursue his riding dream.
Taking up residence at the yard of Luca Cumani, a young Dettori served his time as a stable lad before setting out as an apprentice jockey in 1987. The first of eight British wins in his debut campaign came aboard the Cumani-trained Lizzy Hare.
Improving to 22 wins in 1988, Dettori achieved his first breakout moment in 1989. That year, his 75-win tally, including a first Group success in the Select Stakes at Goodwood, took him to the British Champion Apprentice title.
Not all leading apprentices carry their success into the professional ranks. Dettori handled the step up with aplomb. Exploding onto the scene with 141 wins, a 19-year-old Dettori finished fourth in the Champion Jockey standings – becoming the first teenager since Lester Piggott to ride 100 winners in a season.
Breaking a century in 1992 and 1993, Dettori signed on to become the retained rider for the powerful Godolphin operation in 1994. The rising star made a flying start in his new role, producing the two most prolific seasons of his career in his first two years in the Godolphin blue. His 233 wins in 1994 were good for a first Champion Jockey title, which he successfully defended with a 217-win haul in 1995 (his third would arrive in 2004). And then came the season which propelled Frankie into immortality.
The Magnificent Seven – Frankie’s Finest Hour
Dettori didn’t win the Champion Jockey title in 1996. In fact, 123 winners represented a significant drop off from previous years. However, on 28 September at Ascot Racecourse, he achieved a feat which remains scarcely believable to this day.
Frankie Dettori’s Magnificent Seven Winners (28/9/1996)
| Time | Race | Winner (SP) | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | Cumberland Lodge Stakes | Wall Street (2/1F) | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 2:35 | Diadem Stakes | Diffident (12/1) | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 3:20 | Queen Elizabeth II Stakes | Mark Of Esteem (10/3) | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 3:55 | Tote Festival Handicap | Decorated Hero (7/1) | John Gosden |
| 4:20 | Rosemary Rated Stakes | Fatefully (7/4F) | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 5:00 | Blue Seal Conditions Stakes | Lochangel (5/4JF) | Ian Balding |
| 5:35 | Gordon Carter Handicap | Fujiyama Crest (2/1F) | Sir Michael Stoute |
Arriving in Berkshire for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes card, a 26-year-old Dettori had a mixed book of rides, ranging from well-fancied favourites to outsiders at double-figure odds. What followed was a sequence of seven races which left Dettori-supporting punters bathing in cash and battered bookies on the brink of bankruptcy.
Subsequently christened the “seven horses of the apocalypse” by the unfortunate bookmakers, Wall Street, Diffident, Mark Of Esteem, Decorated Hero, Fatefully, Lochangel, and Fujiyama Crest carried Dettori to victory in all seven races.
Before this momentous achievement, no jockey had ever won every contest on a seven-race card in Britain. For the unprecedented feat to be achieved by such a big name at such a high-profile meeting was a true disaster for the bookmaking fraternity.
With punters up and down the land placing Dettori based Yankees, Lucky 15s, 31s, 63s, accumulators and more, the cost to the industry was estimated to be in excess of £30m. Whatever Frankie achieved from here on in, his place in racing folklore was assured.
The Classic Collection
When looking back on his time in the saddle, Dettori stated:
“In all the things that I did in my career, if I have to pick one thing that I’ll remember, then it’s winning those seven races at Ascot.”
In years to come, that Saturday afternoon in 1996 seems sure to stand out as the pinnacle of Dettori’s career. However, to focus solely on that singular achievement would be a disservice to a career positively littered with highlights.
When departing the British racing scene at the end of the 2023 season, Dettori had amassed 271 Group 1 wins. Included in that number were 23 famous victories in the races every elite jockey wants to win – the Classics.
Frankie’s streak of victories began in the 1994 Epsom Oaks and ended in that same race during his final 2023 campaign. When all was said and done, Dettori’s Classic scrapbook included the following triumphs:
- 1000 Guineas – Cape Verdi (1998), Kazzia (2002), Blue Bunting (2011), Mother Earth (2021)
- 2000 Guineas – Mark of Esteem (1996), Island Sands (1999), Galileo Gold (2016), Chaldean (2023)
- Epsom Oaks – Balanchine (1994), Moonshell (1995), Kazzia (2002), Enable (2017), Anapurna (2019), Snowfall (2021), Soul Sister (2023)
- Epsom Derby – Authorized (2007), Golden Horn (2015)
- St Leger Stakes – Classic Cliché (1995), Shantou (1996), Scorpion (2005), Sixties Icon (2006), Conduit (2008), Logician (2019)
International Exploits
With the Magnificent Seven, 23 Classics, and 81 winners at Royal Ascot, the British section of Dettori’s CV is overflowing with achievements. However, Frankie’s talents weren’t restricted to British shores.
During his career, Dettori also rode high-profile winners in France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, United States, Canada, South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago. Selected highlights from that extensive global tour include:
- 6 wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- 10 Irish Classics
- 4 wins in the Dubai World Cup
- 15 Breeders’ Cup wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic
2023: The Farewell Tour
In December 2022, Dettori announced that 2023 would be his final year in the saddle. Typical of the man, Frankie turned his farewell tour of British racecourses into a Group 1-laden victory lap. Kicking off with Classic glory aboard Chaldean in the 2000 Guineas, Dettori grabbed six further top-level triumphs ahead of the seasonal finale of British Champions Day.
In a script fit for Hollywood, Dettori teamed up with King Of Steel to claim the Group 1 Champion Stakes on his final ride on British shores, but not, as it turned out, the final ride of his career.
The US Chapter
Whether reinvigorated by that final year in Britain or simply unable to let go of the sport he loves, Dettori opted to extend his career on the other side of the Atlantic.
The California setting may have been a little different to Newmarket, but Dettori’s performance levels remained at the highest level. Immediately at home amidst the razzmatazz of the US racing scene, Dettori racked up 24 Graded victories during 2024 and 2025, including five Grade 1 victories.
Dettori’s next retirement announcement came before the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Festival. Taking to social media, the 54-year-old announced that his appearances at Del Mar would represent his final rides in the US, with the rider planning to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career in the Chilean Derby in February 2026.