Frankie Dettori at 50: five secrets to the charismatic Italian's success

For more than three decades, the incomparable Frankie Dettori has been at the forefront of British racing. His achievements and infectious enthusiasm have won him legions of fans around the world. Today, the Racing Post celebrates the 50th birthday of the great Italian and takes a look at the secrets to his legendary career.

Rising to the occasion

More than 400 Group victories in Britain alone; 19 British Classics; 73 Royal Ascot winners; that seven-timer in 1996.

On the global stage there have been a record six Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes as well as 14 Breeders' Cup wins. The list could go on and on. The simple fact is nobody relishes the big occasions more than the effervescent Italian.

The Derby, perhaps his most coveted prize, took longer than most to make its way into Dettori's trophy cabinet, but arrive it did in 2007 courtesy of the Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Authorized.

Frankie Dettori rides Authorized to victory in the 2007 DerbyCredit: Trevor Jones

"I had to pinch myself crossing the line to make sure it was real and not a dream," Dettori said afterwards.

John Gosden summed him up when giving a television interview after Dettori's 2018 Arc win on Enable, saying: "He gets himself up for the big occasions. He rides to a level which is way beyond what most people can ride to. He elevates himself.

"But don't take him to a wet track on a Monday afternoon, you won't find him."

Sleek, versatile and smart racing style

His racing style has been compared to that of his US contemporaries as he opts to use the whip sparingly, instead using his legs and body to get the most out of his horses.

A list of his greatest rides features an amalgamation of different methods whether it be front-running, scything through a field, expert placement or overcoming wide draws. There is seemingly no obstacle that can stop his skill.

Three champion jockey titles have been secured, but in his later years Dettori has opted to pick and choose his opportunities more carefully, targeting the big races rather than the everyday meetings.

He has gone from having more than 200 winners a year in the mid-90s to having fewer than 200 rides in 2020, a campaign admittedly shortened by Covid-19.

Frankie Dettori: 'Lester Piggott rode until he was 59. F*** it, I'm giving that a go.'

This should contribute to a prolonging of his career well past his 50th birthday and as the man himself said in the summer: "Lester Piggott rode until he was 59. F*** it, I'm giving that a go."

Unrivalled charisma

If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it does it make a sound? If Frankie Dettori rides a winner but does not execute his trademark flying dismount, has he actually won the race?

Frankie Dettori performs his trademark flying dismount after yet another success on the magnificent EnableCredit: Edward Whitaker

Dettori's boundless enthusiasm and energy are some of the reasons he has endeared himself so much, not just to those in racing, but also to the wider British public in a way no other racing personality of the last 50 years can claim to have done.

The Magnificent Seven made him a household name and his natural charisma has helped him stay at the forefront of racing's public perception.

Stints as a team captain on A Question of Sport and an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 introduced him to new audiences, while he even guest presented Top of the Pops.

The best trainers and best horses

By his own admission, Dettori needs the right people, and horses, to bring the best out of him. For years, Sheikh Mohammed presented him with a string of the world's finest, mostly under the care of Saeed bin Suroor.

There is barely a top British trainer who Dettori cannot claim to have worked for, and successfully so, while he regularly has the option of Wesley Ward's best mounts for the American's Royal Ascot raids. He has even found the time to side with Aidan O'Brien, including with Scorpion in the 2005 St Leger.

There is no trainer he has been more successful with, though, than John Gosden, Dettori's main source of top-class rides in recent years.

John Gosden and Frankie Dettori: have been hugely successful togetherCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gosden-trained superstars such as Stradivarius, Cracksman and Golden Horn have kept the big winners flowing. Not forgetting, of course, the apple of his eye, the magnificent Enable.

"She is the horse who I've loved the most in all my career, she really touched my heart," Dettori said after Enable's retirement in October. "I did have a cry last night when I was told but more of joy than sadness because of all the great memories she gave me."

Triumph over adversity

His majestic career almost came to a tragic end at the turn of the millennium. A plane crash at Newmarket took the life of pilot Patrick Mackey, yet Dettori and fellow jockey Ray Cochrane miraculously survived.

"Nobody knows when they're going to die," he said. "I was nearly there. When the time did come all I could think was, 'No, not now. I've just got going, I've just got married.' I thought I was going to die, 100 per cent."

Hardships of a different kind, some of his own making, were to follow but the bad times have helped shape him into the man and jockey he is now.

Back in the day: Frankie Dettori and Saeed bin SuroorCredit: Edward Whitaker

His acrimonious split with Godolphin in 2012 ended an 18-year spell of success in the all-blue silks and when he was handed a six-month ban after testing positive for cocaine shortly after, his career was hanging by a thread. His renaissance since then has been a joy to watch.

Read more

Frankie at 50: 'I didn't scream. I was just so disappointed I was going to die'

Frankie Dettori heartbroken at deadly impact of coronavirus

Frankie goes to Hollywood? He very well might as filming starts on Dettori movie

'I shed a tear': Frankie Dettori relives Enable's date with destiny in the Arc

The Frankie phenomenon: how Dettori became racing's irreplaceable star

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