My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s look behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. This week, we speak to legendary jockey Frankie Dettori, widely considered one of the greatest in horse racing history. Famous for his flying dismount celebration, he won over 3,300 races in a career spanning over 35 years, including the “Magnificent Seven” at Royal Ascot in 1996.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ was my highest moment
It’s 30 years in September, actually. I won every race, the first one to do it, the bookmakers lost £40m and the punters won £40m. To this day, people from all walks of life come up to me saying that I helped pay for their wedding or their mortgage or their holiday, so that’s amazing.
Everybody wanted a piece of me that day. I had to sign race cards and didn’t leave for a couple of hours. All I wanted to do was go home, put on my pyjamas and go to bed.
Instead my wife dragged me to her friend’s 21st birthday, and we ended up having a massive row. We were fighting over the duvet. So it didn’t end that well.
Like every kid, I wanted to be a footballer
But unfortunately, everybody grew a foot and I didn’t. I started on the right wing, and then I was too slow because the others were bigger than me, so I ended up at right-back. Now I think the bench is my best position.
When I went to school in Milan, I was the only one who supported Juventus, so I got a good hiding four times a year. Obviously, Michel Platini was my favourite player growing up. Liam Brady was another one of my heroes.
I actually got to meet Liam a few years ago. He speaks fluent Italian. We became friends. He likes his racing. He took me to watch Arsenal, because he knew I’m an Arsenal supporter.
I quit racing so I didn’t end up getting killed
The racehorse goes from standing to full speed in six strides. We race inches from each other. It’s quite selfish, but I don’t think anyone can enjoy anything like being a jockey on top of a horse in front of 40,000 people. It’s been a big part of my life, and something I still miss.
Unfortunately when you ride horses, you are going to fall. If you knew you were going to fall, you wouldn’t do it. It’s part and parcel of the job. I broke my ankle twice, both elbows, collarbones, both shoulders, jaw, not counting fingers, ribs and toes. But apart from that, not too bad.
The last few months, I kind of lost that fire. I didn’t have the killer instinct. And I thought, well, if I don’t stop, I’m going to end up killing myself. It’s a dangerous sport. You have to be 100 per cent committed.
I used to lose two or three pounds every morning
When I first started racing, nobody really knew about carbohydrates, protein, good fat, bad fats. I had a warm room with a running machine. That way I could sweat off the weight I had to lose.
The scale doesn’t lie. You try not to take shortcuts. For a period of 10 years, between my 30s and 40s, I was bulimic. I was eating to satisfy my brain and my stomach, and then I would throw it back up, because otherwise I couldn’t make the weight. And then I got caught in this cycle.
I took diuretics to make me wee more, to lose water. They gave me cramps. People out there still do it, and I feel for them, because it’s easy to get stuck in a spiral.
I was at a very low point after the plane crash
I survived, but my pilot died. Mentally, it was tough. It was a very challenging moment.
Maybe I should have sought help at the time. I asked myself so many questions. Why I didn’t die? Why I was still alive? It was a difficult time for me and my family. I was a bit lost.
But, you know, time heals. I had good people around me, loved ones who were there to support me. It’s something that took a long while for me to process.
I’ve got a bone to pick with Usain Bolt
I was in Australia for the Melbourne Cup, and after racing, we always used to go to the casino. After a couple of drinks, I thought I’d better to go to bed, so I pressed the button for the lift and walked in and there was Usain. He was there with his bodyguard.
I said, “Hey Usain, where are you going? I’m coming with you!” And his bodyguard said, “No, you’re not,” and threw me out of the lift! He picked me up and chucked me out. And he just stood there laughing!
I haven’t seen him since but Usain, I’m looking forward to playing in your team and making this year’s Soccer Aid team successful.
Frankie Dettori will play for the World XI at Soccer Aid for UNICEF on Sunday 31 May at the London Stadium. Adult tickets start from £20 and juniors from £10: socceraid.org.uk/tickets