Frankie Dettori: 'I feel numb! It's been a tremendous journey and I will finish it in the Chilean Derby next year'

Frankie Dettori will say his final farewell in the Chilean Derby at Valparaiso Sporting next February, with the world's most famous jockey admitting he felt numb following his last Breeders' Cup ride. 

There was no blockbuster ending for Dettori at Del Mar as Argine could only manage sixth in the Mile. Earlier on the card, Wimbledon Hawkeye was 12th in the Turf while Khaadem did best of his three rides by taking third in the Turf Sprint, another courageous effort from the evergreen nine-year-old.

Dettori will end his career with 15 Breeders' Cup winners to his name and he put into words how he felt after hopping off Argine. 

The 54-year-old said: "I'm not at the very end yet, but I've made it to the end in America. It's been a tremendous journey the last two years and I'm happy that I chose this day to stop.

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“I still feel a little bit numb, but that's only natural. I didn't feel upset this morning so maybe that's a good reason why I'm stopping. Maybe the fire is not there anymore and it's time to move on. It's been good and I'm done in America. I've had a good time."

On those all-important future plans, they will see Dettori venturing to South America where he revealed that the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini at the Hipódromo de San Isidro is on his agenda in December, as well as the Gran Premio José Pedro Ramírez at Montevideo in Uruguay in January before bowing out in the Chilean Derby.

Dettori said: "I'm going to be riding in Argentina for the Pellegrini day; Uruguay for the Ramirez day on January 6 and I would say my final day will be in Chile for the Derby. 

"I've always wanted to ride down there; they have been asking me for years and I thought I could do it now. I talked to Kia [Joorabchian] about it and I said, 'Listen, I know I've got to stop, but I just want to fulfil my ambitions to do it'. Then I'll start my new job. I'll be down there in South America for two months."

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Dettori has enjoyed six Grade 1 wins in the last two years in the US, most recently landing the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes on the Charlie Appleby-trained Rebel’s Romance at Belmont last month.

This was Dettori's 33rd Breeders' Cup carnival, but it sounds like it will definitely be his last. 

He did do a dramatic U-turn on his first retirement announcement in 2023 when he was supposed to finish on Champions Day at Ascot, but instead moved to California to ride for a further two years. There will not be another change of mind this time, by all accounts. 

He said: "I do feel numb, but I feel better than I expected. Of course I feel sad, but not as sad as I thought I would feel so maybe that's a sign that I should move on."

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