Ascot to celebrate the remarkable career of legendary jockey Frankie Dettori on QIPCO British Champions Day this Saturday on Sky Sports Racing; Dettori is moving to the USA next year after shelving his retirement plans
Saturday 21 October 2023 08:08, UK
Frankie Dettori has likened Saturday's Ascot farewell to Harry Kane leaving Tottenham as he prepares to leave British racing behind for a move to the USA.
The legendary Italian had been expected to retire at the end of this year but announced last week those plans had been shelved and he would head Stateside to ride as a full-time jockey for what could be "three months or three years".
This weekend's QIPCO British Champions Day, all live on Sky Sports Racing, gives Dettori another opportunity to wave goodbye to his supporters and celebrate a remarkable career which has spanned over 30 years.
Explaining his decision to make a U-turn on retirement, Dettori told Sky Sports Racing: "I announced last year in December that I was going to stop and you imagine that you'll say your last goodbyes, the rides will fizzle out and you'll walk out the back door. That's not been the case.
"I went to America and did amazingly well, came back and won the Guineas, the Oaks and the Gold Cup. I just kept on winning.
"It got to York and I thought: 'Things are going so well and it's very hard to say I'm going to stop'.
"I had the angel and the devil in my mind but eventually I spoke to my parents and my wife Catherine.
"I have to be happy with myself and I thought: 'I'm not ready to stop!' If you stop and you haven't got that peace of mind then you're going to regret it."
The 52-year-old has won almost every top race in Europe - the July Cup being the only Group One in Britain not on his glittering CV.
That, as well as the opportunity to add a first-ever Kentucky Derby victory, were key factors in persuading Dettori to head for the Californian sunshine.
He said: "If I did another year in England, then what am I achieving? I've won everything!
"I gave my word to everyone in Europe that I'd stop and I've already said three quarters of my goodbyes so I thought if I really want to ride then the one place I had a really good time was California.
"I did some time there as a kid, the weather is nice and it gives me an opportunity to ride a little bit more and get it out of my system. I feel like I've got a lot more to give.
"I want to take on the Americans in their own back yard and find a horse for the Kentucky Derby. I need that spark. If one day I wake up there and think that enough is enough then that'll be it.
"It's like Harry Kane. He left Tottenham for Bayern Munich but he's still scoring goals!"
My top two would be Dubai Millennium and Golden Horn. I can't split them. I wish I had Golden Horn for one more year then I would know which one was the best. Third, and the one I loved the most, was Enable. She maybe wasn’t as good as those two but not far off. Emotionally, she took me to places that no other horse did.
Asked what he will miss most about riding in Britain, Dettori added: "I'll miss the weighing room here because it's a timeless place. You walk in there as you were when you were a 16-year-old kid. You never grow up.
"We all live in this magical world. When I walk out of there for the last time it will be very sad."
Dettori does not want Saturday to be a sad occasion, however. He is aiming to provide his usual infectious energy and, hopefully, at least one final flying dismount.
"It is my last race in England - that's been planned for a long time," Dettori said. "I've got 40 of my family coming but I have to detach myself from the emotional bits for the five races I'm going to ride in.
"I want to finish on a good note and I've got some good rides so I can't let my emotions take over.
"After I've passed the line in the Champion Stakes, I'll be able to salute the crowd and I'm sure it'll hit me.
"It's been like that all year but on the last day it will be hard not to let go. It's not a sadness, it should be a celebration. I'll try to make it as fun and enjoyable as I can.
"If you see me crying, they will be tears of happiness."
