Legendary horse racing jockey Frankie Dettori has confirmed he will ride in the 2023 Melbourne Cup Carnival. Dettori originally announced that 2023 would be his final year as a horse racing jockey. However, Dettori has agreed to ride in the Melbourne Cup following his commitments to the Breeders’ Cup in the United States before the end of the current campaign.
The jockey stated his last race in UK horse racing will be on October 23 at Royal Ascot in the Qipco British Championship. Following the British Championship, Dettori will head to the US to compete in the Breeders’ Cup in November. The event will take place in Santa Anita, California.
Dettori could ride one of the favourites to win the Melbourne Cup. Fans can read about the Melbourne Cup’s legendary horses before the next race to learn about the event’s fantastic history.
A host of global horse racing festivals are competing to get Dettori to ride. Festivals in Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan are all vying for the jockey’s presence before the end of 2023. Dettori will ride at the Melbourne Cup Carnival held in Flemington. The festival’s marquee race, the Melbourne Cup, will occur on November 7, and Dettori is expected to ride in the event. According to Racing Victoria, Dettori has agreed to ride on Melbourne Cup Day, Kennedy Oaks Day, and Champions Stake Day.
The Italian-born jockey some of the world’s biggest horse races, including the 1,000 Guineas, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Ascot Gold Cup to name just a few events. He recently won a ninth Royal Ascot Gold Cup riding Mon Ami. Dettori won four races at the 2023 Royal Ascot festival, bringing a curtain down on his time at the event.
Now 52, Dettori has enjoyed a career spanning 35 years. He rode over 250 Group 1 winners in races around the globe. One race Dettori has never won is the Melbourne Cup. He will aim to end his barren streak at Flemington later this year.
The jockey is familiar with the Melbourne Cup. Dettori first rode in the event in 1993 atop Drum-Taps. Over the years, Dettori has ridden in the Melbourne Cup a total of 17 times. He very nearly won the “Race that Stops a Nation” on three occasions. In 1999, Dettori steered Central Park to second place. Sixteen years later, he rode Max Dynamite to second place and in 2019, finishes runner-up once more, this time aboard Master of Reality.
“I have achieved all there is to achieve in horse racing and have had a fantastic career, but the Melbourne Cup has always been one race that I would love to win,” Dettori said.
“I am looking forward to returning to Melbourne to ride at the carnival for one final time and hopefully I can finish my career with a Melbourne Cup win.”
The Melbourne Cup Carnival will be one of the last legs of Dettori’s farewell tour. He may accept additional invitations to ride in Hong Kong or Japan before hanging up his saddle.
