It is difficult to retire when you are still on top of your game.
Ask Frankie Dettori.
He has tried, but clearly it would be fair to suggest that most people who talk about how good it would be to leave on your own terms when you are top of the tree are outsiders looking in with their opinion not fully acknowledging the strength of the grip that a lifetime of plying your trade in a sport your love has … or the hold the effects of the addictive nature of the adrenaline rush of success has on a top rider’s psyche.
Dettori arrival in the United States in December 2022 was originally meant to be part of his grand farewell world tour. Now, all this time later, Dettori, who has a visa to stay in the United States for another three years, is as busy as ever and is loving life in the US, with any thoughts of retirement long since taken off the table.
As reported in the Bloodhorse Daily, ‘This year has been dramatically better (for Dettori) with 288 mounts (through Aug. 7), an increase of about 45% from his total in all of 2023, with 52 wins and earnings of $US 6.3 million while riding on both coasts and even traveling to Monmouth Park and Penn National for stakes wins.’
The on-going brilliance and longevity of Dettori’s career can perhaps best be summed up by two examples … the day he rode the card (all seven winners) at Ascot on September 28,1996 … and the day he rode six winners at the Santa Anita Derby Day in April 2024 … examples that were achieved more than twenty seven years apart, yet which showcases Dettori’s undiminished talent and competitiveness when riding against the best jockeys at the elite level of racing.
And Dettori’s own assessment of his rejuvenation in the US is uncomplicated.
“I should have done this 10 years ago,” Dettori told Bloodhorse Daily.
“I’m doing this with a smile on my face. I’m enjoying it. It’s a challenge. Who knows what the future may bring, but I have no regrets. I am really enjoying being here and look forward to continue riding here.”
Dettori, who is fifty-three years young, still has that one glaring omission on his otherwise immaculate and long, long list of international Group 1 and feature race successes – the Melbourne Cup.
When he originally announced his proposed retirement, it looked like that box would remain unticked.
While there are no definite plans in place to change that, with Dettori riding on the crest of another wave of success, that door has once again been opened. As he said, “Who knows what the future may bring.”
Whether he will in fact ever ride in another Melbourne Cup, or not, only time will tell … but were Dettori to finally seal that much sought after win, his trademark star-jump dismount might just reach new heights, and that would be a sight to see.
