The best-laid plans, as racing people know only too well, can often go awry, but Frankie Dettori’s decision to set out an 11-month schedule for his farewell tour next year should mean that he will be appearing at a racecourse near you at least one more time before he finally hangs up his boots. It has been one of the greatest riding careers of them all, and we may never see another jockey with Dettori’s unique combination of gifts, both in and out of the saddle, which made him a household name.
Many smaller tracks will be hoping against hope that Dettori drops by at some point next year, when his presence for even a single ride could conceivably put an extra 1,000 on the gate. And while he has scarcely ridden at all on Mondays or Tuesdays in recent years, the ticking clock might yet persuade Dettori to revisit some of our lesser venues, the likes of Carlisle, where he has one win from 18 rides over his long career, Musselburgh (three from 20) or even Ffos Las, the only current British track where Dettori has yet to ride a winner, albeit from just three attempts.
