Who is Frankie Dettori? Top jockey bids for seventh Arc win at Longchamp on Sunday with Enable
FRANKIE DETTORI is one of the most successful jockeys ever and has had one of his best seasons to date this year.
Dettori and trainer John Gosden have been mopping up Group 1 races all summer and look for another huge win with Enable in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Enable is bidding for her third Arc win which would see her go into the history books as the first horse to achieve that record. Dettori meanwhile is bidding for his seventh win in the race.
This year’s Arc is due off at 3.05pm and will be shown live on ITV.
Who is Frankie Dettori?
Frankie Dettori was born in Milan, Italy, in 1970.
He first got into horse racing when his father bought him a Palomino pony at the age of 12, and a year later he left school to become an apprentice jockey and stable boy.
His first race win came in Turin when he was 16, and in 1990 he became the first teenager since the great Lester Piggott to win 100 races.
In September 1996 he managed to win all seven races on a single day at Ascot.
His 2007 Epsom Derby win completed the set of British Classic Races, with Dettori having previously won the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Oaks and the St Leger Stakes.
And he followed that up with a second Derby victory in 2015, riding Golden Horn to victory.
Dettori was also British flat racing Champion Jockey in 1994, 1995 and 2004.
This year, Dettori has had a stellar season winning 16 Group 1 races this summer.
How many times has Frankie Dettori won the Arc?
Frankie notched up his sixth win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Enable as the pair landed back-to-back wins in the Group 1 contest 12 months ago.
Here are Dettori’s six Arc winners:
Has Frankie Dettori encountered any controversy during his career?
In 2003, he resigned as a captain on BBC’s A Question Of Sport after being stung by a question asking when he retired.
Dettori then rededicated himself entirely to racing.
The Italian was also banned for six months from horse racing in 2012 after taking a banned substance, believed to be cocaine.
And he admitted to taking diuretic drugs to keep his weight down before they were banned in 1998.
Dettori said: “I took Lasix, pee pills, diuretics, laxatives; all sorts.”
Dettori is currently on the sidelines after being banned for six days for careless riding.
He is due to miss big rides at Glorious Goodwood and cannot ride on King George Day at Ascot.
What is Frankie Dettori’s net worth?
Frankie Dettori’s net worth is estimated at £14m.
He makes at least £2m-a-year in prize money from racing.
When did he kiss Meghan Markle’s hand?
Italian stallion Frankie kissed newlywed Meghan Markle’s hand after winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot on June 19, 2018.
He lent down and planted his lips on smiling Meghan’s outstretched hand — before her husband Prince Harry jokingly gave him a telling off.
The royal couple were there along with the rest of the family including the Queen, the Count and Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
But Dettori was suspended and fined £4,300 for “using his whip above the permitted level from approaching two furlongs out” during his winning race.
What about Frankie Dettori’s personal life?
Dettori lives in Stetchworth near Newmarket, Suffolk, with his wife Catherine and their five children, Leo, Ella, Mia, Tallula and Rocco.
He is an avid Arsenal fan and also has his own line of frozen Italian food.
In 2004, he opened a restaurant, Frankie’s Italian Bar and Grill in Putney, London, with renowned chef Marco Pierre White.
The pair also had restaurants in Knightsbridge, Chiswick, Selfridges and Dubai which are all now closed.
He has a Sports Bar and Grill at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC.
In January 2013, Dettori entered Celebrity Big Brother and was the fifth contestant to be evicted.
Who is Rocco Dettori?
Frankie’s son Rocco is the youngest of five children the jockey shares with wife Catherine.
History looks to be repeating itself after Rocco claimed first place at the Shetland Grand National in Windsor in April 2017.
The youngster was snapped at the event bellowing orders to his pony as he rode and appears to be eager to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.
In 2015, his dad said: “My little boy Rocco is showing potential. If I had to tip one, it’s him. He has the physique and likes to go flat out.”