BANKRUPT Frankie Dettori won £1.8MILLION in one weekend – after almost retiring from racing altogether following the shock death of his ‘best friend’.
The world’s most famous jockey said he was on the brink of packing it in for good after 38 years amid the devastating personal loss last month.
‘I love you’ – Frankie Dettori said he was on the brink of retiring for racing altogether after the shock death of ‘best friend’ Big Dunc
The world’s most famous jockey was back to his best in the saddle last weekend and celebrated victory in the Nashville Derby in true Dettori style
It has been a desperately difficult 2025 for Dettori, who was ‘saddened and embarrassed’ to admit his perilous financial state earlier this year.
But it’s fair to say since then he has rediscovered all his old magic in the saddle.
And he was back to his brilliant best in a money-spinning two days in Kentucky over the weekend, which included landing a huge British winner.
Dettori secured a £888,000 pay cheque for trainer James Owen and Wimbledon Hawkeye’s owners, the Gredley family, after his last-gasp victory in the Nashville Derby on Saturday night.
The Italian, who is loving life in the States alongside wife Catherine, looked beaten but urged the three-year-old home by a head in the Group 3 thriller.
He came close to landing a million pound winner on the same night with his ride aboard Royal Ascot hero Khaadem.
Dettori finished third on the Charlie Hills-trained nine-year-old in Group 2 Mint Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes won by outsider Bear River.
That podium finish was still enough for £72,000 – and Dettori landed Limited Liability’s owners another £75,800 with his third in the Mountain Dew Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational Stakes on the same card.
It was a special Saturday for the 54-year-old dad-of-five – but Sunday proved equally as good with a fantastic four-timer.
Victories on Johnny’s Red Storm, Banjo Chris, Barricade and Tickin Time Blonde were worth a colossal £686,000 in all.
And took his prize money earnings for various owners and trainers for the two days to a giant £1,758,800.
Quite how much Dettori got to keep of that himself will be down to his various agreements with owners.
But it’s generally accepted a jockey can get up to ten per cent of a cheque, so you can expect he made well in excess of six figures for two days’ work.
The surge in form caught the eye of punters in Dettori’s former adopted home of Britain.
With Aidan O’Brien’s No1 rider Ryan Moore out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, they let it be known they thought the Coolmore boss should sign up Dettori for the hectic end-of-season schedule.
Huge rides Moore is missing include Irish Champions weekend, where he would have been on Delacroix in the rematch with Ombudsman.
He was set to ride in the St Leger at Doncaster – aboard either dual Derby hero Lambourn or favourite Scandinavia – that same day before flying over to Leopardstown for the big one.
But there are a whole host of top rides in Group 1s – not to mention Arc weekend – up for grabs.
One punter wrote on X: “Aidan should be on the phone to him and asking him to ride for Ballydoyle until the end of the turf season.”
Amazingly, Dettori might not have been riding at all after the death of a close personal friend.
The jockey paid tribute to ‘Big Dunc’ in a Facebook post last month, saying: “I’m still in total shock, RIP Big Dunc. I love you.”
Dettori said he seriously considered retiring for good in the wake of that loss – and elaborated after victory in Kentucky.
He said: “I lost my best friend two weeks ago in Dubai.
“I was thinking of quitting. If it wasn’t for his strength, I don’t think I would be riding here at this meet.
“I’m doing it for him – he would want me to carry on.”
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