The fact of the matter is that Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori may not have ridden his last winner on British soil after all. Dettori, 53, originally announced that he would retire from the saddle at the end of the 2023 season, but, having enjoyed a hugely successful ‘farewell’ tour – during which he won the 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and five other Group 1 races in Britain alone – he had a change of heart. He will, instead, ride full-time in the United States for an indefinite period, as well as in the Middle East and, possibly, in Britain once again.
Of course, Ascot has always proved a happy hunting ground for the likeable Italian. On September 28, 1996, the Berkshire course was the site of the now-legendary ‘Magnificent Seven’, when Dettori rode all seven winners on the ‘Festival of British Racing’ card and, in so doing, cost bookmakers over £30 million. As Betfred founder Fred Done put it, ‘That day, the business was out of control.’ As far as Royal Ascot is concerned, Dettori has, so far, ridden 81 career winners and, while he is highly unlikely to challenge Lester Piggott as the most successful jockey of all time, it is conceivable that he could creep a little closer to the record total of 116 winners set by the ‘Long Fella’ in due course.
In inimitable style, on what was supposed to be the final day of his final year in Britain, namely British Champions Day at Ascot on October 21, 2023, Dettori added two winners to his career tally. He won the opening race of the day, the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup, on Trawlerman, trained by John and Thady Gosden and, by way of a fitting ‘swansong’, also took the most valuable race of the day, the Champion Stakes, on King of Steel, trained by Roger Varian.