Legendary jockey Frankie Dettori has announced that he will retire from racing in November 2023 at the Breeders’ Cup in California.
Although he recently turned 52, the announcement still came as a shock as Frankie shared his news live on ITV Racing.
“Next year – 2023 – will be my final professional year as a jockey. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while,” he said.
Frankie is planning to ride around the world in between now and the start of the Flat season proper in the UK next spring.
“The plan is I’ll ride on Boxing Day in Santa Anita and then I’ll spend about 10 weeks in California,” he explained. “After that, I’ll ride in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and then I’ll come home to Newmarket and ride right the way through the British season.
“Next year will be my last Guineas, my last Derby and my last Royal Ascot, and so on and so forth, and then I’ll finish riding in the UK at either Champions Day at Ascot or in Newmarket, and then my final farewell as a professional rider will be in California in the Breeders’ Cup.
“I have had an amazing career. You can carry on for one more year, one more year and then one more year, but I feel this is the right time and I’ll be young enough to do something else.
“I want to finish with all my best powers. I think at the moment I’m still good enough to compete with the best.”
Frankie Dettori retirement: “facing the facts”
Frankie told the Racing Post he had been “facing the facts” as he approached his 52nd birthday, and that he wanted the public to know his plan as he wants a “celebration” and to “really give it one more go”.
Frankie is one of the most famous jockeys of all time. He rode his first winner in Italy on 16 November 1986 and has since clocked up an enviable list of victories with 282 Group Ones, including 21 British Classics, 14 Breeders’ Cups, four Dubai World Cups, two Epsom Derbys and six Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victories to boot.
He was British Flat champion jockey three times, in 1994, 1995 and 2004, and, to date has notched up 3,336 British winners.
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