Frankie goes to Hollywood
Eight hundred lucky people, make that 800 lucky, rich people, will be making their way to the Dorchester Hotel tonight in central London. They have each paid £1,000 to attend the Frankie Dettori “retirement party”. When the Italian announced he was “unretiring” the other week and heading off to the States to ride from Boxing Day you could be forgiven for thinking those who shelled out a grand felt duped. Now, after Dettori’s magnificent denouement to his UK career in the Champion Stakes at Ascot today, they’ve got the best ticket in town.
I am lucky enough to have been involved in racing for the entirety of the great jockey’s time in this country. I became a full-time racing journalist in 1986 and Dettori rode his first winner a year later at Goodwood. At the end of the 80s on a trip to Ripon races I first saw Dettori ride a winner live. He came out of the weighing room afterwards as if he owned the place. It was clear that here was a new and exciting emerging talent – what was also clear was that he knew it. Showmanship has always been an integral part of the rider’s personality and that was on display again at Ascot this afternoon. It’s not the British way so it’s unlikely we’ll see the likes of him again on these shores and this was a fitting way to end this chapter of the remarkable rider’s life story.
