Frankie Dettori is an internationally renowned Italian-born jockey in flat racing. He is celebrated for his achievements in the most prestigious horse racing events throughout his career. Through pivotal moments in both his professional and personal life, he has become one of the most compelling figures in modern racing history.

Early Life and Early Years

Lanfranco Dettori was born in Milan in December 1970. His father, Gianfranco Dettori, is a jockey who won numerous championships in Italy. Frankie’s first encounter with horses came at the age of twelve when his father bought him a Palomino pony. At thirteen he left school and began working as an apprentice in Pisa. At fifteen he moved to England and became an apprentice under trainer Luca Cumani in Newmarket.

He won his first race in Italy in 1986. In 1987 he secured his first victory in England at Goodwood. By the age of nineteen in 1989 he was crowned the British Champion Apprentice Jockey. In 1990 he became the first jockey since the legendary Lester Piggott to win over 100 races in a single season, achieving 141 victories.

Godolphin Era and International Success

In 1993 he was appointed as a retained jockey for Godolphin, the racing stable owned by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career. Riding Godolphin’s horses worldwide, he won 233 races in 1994 and claimed his first British Jockeys’ Championship title. He repeated this achievement two more times.

Dettori’s most remarkable achievement came on 28 September 1996 at Ascot Racecourse during Champions Day, when he won all seven races on the card. This historic feat, known as the “Magnificent Seven”, entered racing folklore. Four of the wins that day were on Godolphin horses. The accomplishment generated enormous excitement across British sporting history.

Over his career he has won more than forty races at Royal Ascot. He has won multiple times in major races including the Ascot Gold Cup, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup. He won the Dubai World Cup three times, in 2000, 2003 and 2006.

Accidents, Turning Points and Awards

In 2000 he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to sport. That same year, Dettori and his close friend jockey Ray Cochrane survived a plane crash. After the pilot died in the accident, Dettori expressed a deeper commitment to his life and family.

In 2007 he achieved one of his greatest career goals by winning the Epsom Derby aboard Authorized, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam.

In 2011 Anglia Ruskin University awarded him an honorary doctorate in science, highlighting his contributions to horseracing and his role as a role model for students.

Personal Life and Media Appearances

Dettori lives near Newmarket with his wife Catherine. The couple have five children named Leo, Ella, Mia, Tallulah and Rocco. For many years they lived at White Horse Stables, a property renowned for its 15-acre estate, stables and helipad. There, Dettori raised his children while blending his passion for horses with family life. Alongside racehorses, he kept ponies, two miniature donkeys and an emu named Bruce at the property.

He has also appeared in television, serving as team captain on the program A Question of Sport. In 2013 he participated in Celebrity Big Brother, and in 2023 he was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

Literary and Entrepreneurial Activities

During the 2000s, alongside his racing career, Dettori pursued various business ventures. He co-founded the Frankie’s Bar and Grill chain of Italian restaurants with renowned chef Marco Pierre White. He also launched a line of frozen food products inspired by Italian cuisine and published a cookbook.

In his autobiographies Leap of Faith and Frankie: The Autobiography of Frankie Dettori, published by HarperCollins, he recounts both his racing career and the pivotal moments of his personal life.

Later Years and Retirement

Dettori announced in 2023 that he would retire from professional racing. Nevertheless, he continued to win major races after making this decision. In his final season he won the 2000 Guineas aboard Chaldean, the Oaks aboard Soul Sister and the Ascot Gold Cup aboard Courage Mon Ami.

Over the course of his career, spanning more than thirty-five years, he rode at racecourses around the world. His presence on the track is regarded as emblematic of a defining era in modern flat racing.