FRANKIE Dettori is one of the most famous and successful jockeys of all time, smashing record after record in a glittering career.
Having made a massive retirement U-turn in October 2023 and preparing for a stint in the 2023 I'm A Celebrity jungle, it doesn't look like he's going anywhere in the near future.
Who is Frankie Dettori?
Lanfranco (Frankie) Dettori was born on December 15, 1970, in Milan, Italy.
He is the son of Sardinian jockey Gianfranco, a prolific horse racing winner in Italy.
Dettori got into the saddle at a young age after his father bought him a Palomino pony.
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At 13, he left school to work as a stable boy and apprentice jockey, later relocating to the UK.
He quickly became the first teenager to ride 100 winners in one season and by 16 had his first major official wins in Turin and Britain.
After these initial victories, winning became synonymous for Dettori, including 282 Group/Grade 1 wins worldwide and achieving the impressive feat of winning all seven races on a single day at Ascot Racecourse — one of the highest racing achievements
In December 2022, Dettori announced that 2023 would be his final year of professional riding and was set to make his racing farewell at the 2023 Breeders Cup.
But he announced in October 2023 that he will still race in the US from 2024.
Speaking in a short video on Twitter, he said: "Hi everyone, it's Frankie here. I'm in London for British Champions Day which will be my last one I had in England.
"But a scoop for you guys, I've decided to prolong my career, I'm going to go to the United States from next year.
"Keep on following me."
Dettori's final race in Britain was on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, October 21.
The horse racing legend went out on a high winning the Champion Stakes on King Of Steel in his final race on British soil.
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After an astonishing ride, moving through the field from last to first place, Frankie said: “I thought I would cry, but I’m too happy to cry, to be honest.
"I didn’t expect it, it’s fantastic. What a day.”
And on the crowd's reaction, he added: “It was incredible, everybody was cheering for me, they souped it up to be my last race so they were all up for it, and I couldn’t have wrote it better myself.
“That was special, ‘Oh, Frankie Dettori’, that’s one thing I’ll miss. I can’t take that to America unfortunately.
“I’m fairly new over there, but from the beginning of the season, it’s been tremendous.
“I wanted to finish at the top and you can’t get any more top than this, so I’m very proud.”
Dettori is also set to star in this year's I'm A Celebrity, which kicks off on Sunday November 19.
How many children does Frankie Dettori have?
Frankie is the proud father of five children: Leo, Ella, Mia, Tallula and Rocco.
Of all of his children, Dettori believed his youngest, Rocco, was most likely to ride professionally.
In 2015 Frankie said: “If I had to tip one, it’s him. He has the physique and likes to go flat out."
But during the Covid-19 pandemic, his gym routine led to him bulking up, with Dettori saying: “Rocco, in Covid, he went into the gym and he turned out to be a pretty robust guy, strong and muscly, so unfortunately his career is gone somewhere else.
“He still loves his riding but he is way too big and too strong.”
His second eldest Ella competed in her first ever race as a jockey in July 2021, when she was 19 years old.
She made her debut in the charity Magnolia Cup race at Glorious Goodwood.
The contest ended in a dramatic dead-heat — the judges were unable to split the two leading runners.
After the race, Ella said: "Dad gave me a few tips before the race.
"I hope I made him proud, that was my aim."
Who is Frankie Dettori's wife Catherine?
Dettori's wife Catherine is a stay-at-home mum.
Frankie met her while she was studying at university — Catherine was leading a horse he was riding up at Haydock.
They got married in July, 1997 in New Market, England and the family currently resides in Stetchworth near Newmarket, Suffolk.
Catherine’s father, Professor William “Twink” Allen, was a candidate in UKIP elections in 2015.
Originally from New Zealand, he is no stranger to the world of horse racing and is well known within the Newmarket horse community as he is involved with breeding.
