Frankie Dettori has admitted he 'didn't want to end up' like Cristiano Ronaldo as the star jockey confirmed his retirement.
The rider, who has competed for 35 years and had more than 3,300 winners, will bow out in November 2023. He hinted that his final racecourse appearance would be at the Breeders Cup in California, one of the biggest international meetings.
Dettori toyed with the decision for some time, discussing it with his wife Catherine, five children and his father Gianfranco, 13-times champion in his native Italy.
But 52-year-old Dettori felt it was best to go out at the top after a stellar career which has given him 21 victories in British Classic races.
"I'm not making comparisons but look at Ronaldo," he said on ITV Racing.
"He was playing one minute and he was on the bench the next. And I don't want to end up like that, where I'm struggling to get rides in the big races. At the moment I still have good horses to ride and I want to finish like that."
Ronaldo, football's most prolific goalscorer in international history, was a substitute for Portugal's two knockout games at the World Cup and was pictured in tears when they exited the tournament.
He also left Manchester United recently and despite being 37, is seemingly struggling to come to terms with the fact his career is reaching its conclusion.
Dettori expects to ride in Britain for the final time at Ascot in October 2023, the venue for one of his best ever days in the sport. In 1996, he had all seven winners on one racecard, at cumulative odds of 25,051-1.
His best season was in 1994 with 233 successes, but he had to wait until 2007 to finally win the Derby at Epsom, teaming up with Authorized and then Golden Horn eight years later. The latter horse was trained by John Gosden, who Dettori has been first jockey for since 2015, but had a brief sabbatical from the role earlier this year.
In 2012, Dettori was banned from race-riding for six months by France Galop for failing a drugs test.
The jockey, who has participated in many entertainment programmes including Celebrity Big Brother, said he will find it difficult when he finally hangs up his breeches and boots..
"It will be very hard to let go," he added. "You never feel old in the jockeys' room – but the reality is I am old. I have to give up. It's going to be exciting but it will also be torture. Saying farewell to what has been 35 years of my life will be draining but I've made the decision and I'm sticking to it."
