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Frankie Dettori: how he cheated death and hit rock bottom but is now born again

Lee Mottershead on the incredible story of racing's biggest star

Frankie Dettori celebrates his Gold Cup victory aboard Stradivarius
Frankie Dettori is riding better than ever at the age of 48Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

You could not make it up, nor him for that matter, yet it has all been true.

That is why Frankie Dettori's manager Peter Burrell is currently negotiating with broadcasters over a biopic similar to the one made about Sir Anthony McCoy. The plot outline would surely sell itself.

The soon-to-be homesick Italian boy is dispatched to England by his disciplinarian father at the age of 14. He quickly becomes a star, teams up with a wealthy sheikh and wins all seven races on one of the sport's biggest afternoons at Ascot.

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Published on 12 August 2019inFeatures

Last updated 12:04, 13 August 2019

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