Frankie Dettori: my favourite silks and love for Enable

As he approaches his final rides at Royal Ascot, Frankie Dettori has looked back on some of his fondest moments in racing’s most famous colours, such as the Godolphin blue, pink and green of Juddmonte and the black and yellow silks carried aboard Bjorn Nielsen’s Stradivarius.

Watch below what the World Pool ambassador had to say.

I started in 1994 with Godolphin and had 18 great years, I think I’m just short of 1000 winners with these colours so nearly a third of my winners came with these.

We could sit here for hours and talk about all the good horses I’ve ridden, but obviously, Dubai Millennium springs to mind – Daylami, Fantastic Light, Sakhee, Mark Of Esteem, Cape Verdi – some amazing horses and I’ve missed about 20!

Also, these colours took me around the world as I’ve been to Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and America, so I’m always pleased to see them.

These are the Authorized colours of the 2007 Derby which was my first Derby on my 15th attempt.

Your first Derby is always special; my mum and dad were there, I had a good horse in a good race who was the short-priced favourite, so the pressure was on, and I got the monkey off my back.

I’ll be honest, it was more of a relief than an enjoyment, but he was a great horse and I’ll never forget these colours because it’s like having your first child!

The only thing I can think of is Enable because I can’t pass on the love I had for the horse.

Obviously, I rode many Group 1s with these colours going back nearly 30 years with John Gosden in Longchamp – the colours have been very lucky for me with the Royal Ascot winners but Enable surpasses everything.

With the love I had for her, and all the emotions attached, I don’t think another horse will give me so much great emotion as Enable did.

I can’t list all the winners I rode, but these colours are really important and it’s a testament to how good Juddmonte’s breeding operation has been and may it long continue.

I grew up in the Dancing Brave era when I was 15 or 16 and I remember going to the Rowley Mile to watch him so he was a great horse, obviously Frankel as well, and then Enable would complete the top three for Juddmonte horses.

I guess Rachael Blackmore probably wants them back! Lots of winners, I remember Queen’s Trust for Sir Michael Stoute in the Breeders’ Cup Fillies & Mares and of course, my last winner at Royal Ascot last year, Inspiral.

She won the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket and the Prix Jacques le Marois against the colts in France and the good thing about it is she stayed in training so I’m looking forward to riding her again.

At a glance, you recognise these silks right away because they are Cheveley Park and the Thompsons; they have been in racing forever, they are great breeders, and unbelievable people.

I thought I was going to retire because I couldn’t get any more business when I left Godolphin and then Sheikh Joaan Al Thani came to the rescue and we hit it straight away, particularly the year after when we won the Guineas on Galileo Gold.

We had many other winners – Olympic Glory, Al Wukair, Treve – so I owe a lot to Sheikh Joaan Al Thani because he gave me a lifeline when I thought I had to retire at one point, but I managed to survive another 10 years.

This was the start of my second career when I went back to John Gosden in 2015 and the first horse he put me on in the morning was Golden Horn.

The dream came alive when I won my second Derby and this time, I was able to enjoy it; I was older, my kids were older, I didn’t have the pressure of winning it for the first time, and it was really amazing.

In my nearly 3500 winners, this race probably had the biggest emotion in one single race.

And then Cracksman came along as well so the Oppenheimers have been great supporters of mine and they take a special place in my heart.

Obviously, everyone will recognize this because of Stradivarius. He was an amazing horse who won three Gold Cups and although Enable was special, this fella managed to win more Group races with me than Enable did; 14 I think.

What was so good was his longevity, people got attached to him, and he was a fine horse to ride because, for a stayer, he had a tremendous turn of foot.

Luckily for us, he is next door in the National Stud so I must go and visit him – again, he is one of my all-time favourite horses.

He loved York, he won six races there, but obviously, when he won the Gold Cup, it was a shame he won the Gold Cup by 10 lengths during Covid because I think it was just myself and my driver there. A tremendous horse.