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Many people have been curious about whether or not he would follow through on his promise to give up horse racing. Recently, Italian jockey Frankie Dettori revealed that he will not be retiring after all and will be moving from Britain to America.
The 52YO made this announcement on Thursday, suggesting that his desire to win the Kentucky Derby, which has been a longstanding ambition, played a significant role in his decision to continue his career.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Dettori, who will set up base along the east coast at Santa Anita in California, said, “I didn't expect this year to be so successful. I feel like I still have to get it all out of my system, so the obvious choice for me is to move full-time to America because I had such a good time there over the winter. I'm going to be based at Santa Anita but I'll also do a bit of stuff on the international scene in Dubai and Saudi Arabia when available.
“We have been working on this for the last few weeks, but I wanted to dot all the Is and cross all the Ts before saying anything. We've now sorted things out at home. The kids are settled, our house has been rented and I've got myself a visa, which was the big concern. It was a long process to get that but we've got it now. We are good to go.”
Dettori mentioned that his victory at York's Ebor Festival prompted him to reassess certain aspects.
“I started thinking about this after York," said Dettori, who won this year’s Juddmonte International on the Knavesmire aboard Shadwell-owned Mostahdaf, trained jointly by his long-time collaborator John Gosden and his son Thady Gosden.
“When I set out my stall to retire, I didn't expect to have one of my best years for a long time, probably the best I've had since 2019. I thought my rides would fizzle out and that I would slowly head towards the sunset. Instead, I've been in demand and that has triggered this decision. As a result of the success I've had this year, I now feel that I'm not ready to stop yet.
“I'm still looking forward to saying my last goodbyes at Ascot on Champions Day but then we'll move to southern California just before Christmas for our new future. It's all about being a freelance in the States but I hope to be riding for everyone, just like I did when I went out there at the end of last year.
“It could be three months. It could be three years. I don't know. It depends how it goes.”