Retirement is no longer an option for Dettori

To understand how well horseman Frankie Dettori has embraced racing and riding in the United States, it only takes one sentence.

“I should have done this 10 years ago,” Dettori said.

At 53, Lanfranco “Frankie” Dettori has rejuvenated by riding regularly in the United States. Europe’s most famous horseman came here in December 2022, riding in Santa Anita Park as part of an epic farewell tour.

But nearly two years later, retirement is no longer within the legendary racer’s reach. He has a visa that allows him to stay in the United States for another three years and the last thing on his mind is taking the easy way out.

Instead, he and his agent, Ron Anderson, are in Saratoga Race Track Every day, people rush to find racehorses not only for the upcoming races but also for the Breeders’ Cup in November and the Kentucky Derby (G1) next spring.

“Things are going well. I’ve had a great time in my first year here and I’m really enjoying the lifestyle here, especially at Saratoga,” said the six-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner.

Following an impressive performance on the first day of 2022 on December 26 when he won three races on the opening day at Santa Anita, he had a solid 2023 season with 29 wins and $3.7 million in prize money, which convinced him to continue racing.

“I had a great welcome. I didn’t know how it would go but everyone was great,” said Dettori, who has amassed more than 275 class/group 1 wins and 500 class/group wins in his storied career. “They embraced me and gave me the confidence to keep going.”

This year has been significantly better with 288 rides (as of August 7), up about 45% from his total for all of 2023, with 52 wins and $6.3 million in earnings while riding on both coasts and even traveling to Monmouth Park And Penn State University win the championship.

“I do this for self-gratification because I really enjoy it. I have nothing to prove. I have achieved everything. I do this because I love it,” he said.

It can be said that he has done well this year.

Yes, he ran in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (G1), but those failed to showcase his abilities as he finished 16th and seventh respectively.

To get a better idea of ​​how good he was, go back to September 28, 1996, when he won all seven races at Ascot. Some 27½ years later, he won six races in a row in the 2024 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and came close to a seventh win when Imagination His horse Preakness, finished second in the top West Coast prep competition Run for the Roses.

New Gate for trainer Bob Baffert—which Dettori called “a huge achievement”—and has nine graded race wins in 2024 (two of which were Grade 1s) after winning two graded races last year.

“People realise he’s not here to retire. He doesn’t want to retire. Mentally, he’s as good as we’ve got here. He’s a super rider and it’s only going to get better,” Anderson said. “He won three races in one day and he sounded like a kid winning his first race. The sky is always blue for him.”

Dettori got off to a slow start at Saratoga, winning just three of his first 28 starts with four second and four third places. But Anderson said returning to Europe for his daughter’s wedding after the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival left him without a number of horses from trainers preparing for starts at Saratoga.

“Everything was interrupted, but now it’s continuing,” Anderson said.

For his part, Dettori knows that competing on a daily basis against a team of riders as skilled and talented as the one at Saratoga after joining late will not be easy.

“I have no illusions that the other riders are going to roll out the red carpet for me. Everyone is very competitive. But when you’re racing against the best riders, it brings out the best in you,” Dettori said. “I look forward to racing and competing with these guys every day. This is a new challenge for me. I guess that’s what I needed. It makes me feel younger.”

The Saratoga lifestyle has also energized Dettori. While he can walk down Broadway in midtown Manhattan without being noticed, on Broadway in a horse haven like Spa, he’s a rock star.

“I’m enjoying the whole thing,” Dettori said. “The town talks, eats and breathes racing; I feel like Tom Cruise walking down the street. Everyone’s calling my name. I love it here. It’s a novelty to ride every day with 20,000-plus people watching. You don’t see that anymore.”

And with every victory at Spa, the accompanying “flying dismount” was greeted with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

“He had an infectious enthusiasm. He was always positive and upbeat and everyone loved that,” Anderson said. “The sky was always blue for him. He was great and fun to be around. He loved it here and so did his wife, Catherine. She loved the park. She’s been to the track three times and normally she never goes there. She and Frankie have settled into that lifestyle.”

When Saratoga finishes, Dettori will ride at Kentucky Downs. After that. He will most likely return to New York with occasional trips to Kentucky to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup on November 1-2 at Del Mar.

Meanwhile, he and Anderson will be looking for players with promise and an eye toward the future—no retirements.

“I’m doing this with a smile on my face,” Dettori said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s a challenge. Who knows what the future will bring, but I have no regrets. I really enjoy being here and I look forward to continuing to ride here.”