Dubai : Perhaps nobody does cool Italian smooth coupled with English stiff upper lip better than Frankie Dettori. In fact he makes it fun, which also qualifies him as a typical Anglophile.
Godolphin's premier jockey is the flag-bearer for horse racing all over the world.
Every sport has its ‘go-to' personality and in horse racing Dettori rides (for lack of a better phrase) the crest of a wave of affection that is reserved specially for him at every meeting where he sets himself apart from the rest of his ilk with a few of his signature Dettori quirks.
Often seen as amiable, colourful, stylish and a veritable ‘quote machine', Dettori nevertheless, has a competitive streak that is cloaked in steel.
Nothing matters more to him than winning and if he can win in style then so be it. And when the job is done, the amiable Italian Dettori will coax the world to celebrate with him. He guards his brand jealously and leverages it with great success when he has to.
Surviving eight straight interviews at the Meydan racetrack last Tuesday did not seem to dim his enthusiasm.
Having been strapped up, yet again, with a microphone, a recorder pushed into his face, the staccato clicks from a camera taking shots from every angle and a video camera capturing every bodily movement Dettori still managed to squeeze out one split second of humour from the situation.
"Now, don't you be getting nervous," he said, looking at me with a straight face.
The space erupted with laughter.
Here are excerpts from an exclusive interview.
GULF NEWS: You have raced in a total of 14 Dubai World Cup meetings in Nad Al Sheba and this year you suddenly find yourself racing in a new place called Meydan. How are you processing all this?
FRANKIE DETTORI: I remember two years ago, right around this time, the launch of Meydan was done at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. We looked at the model then and nobody believed that it was going to be possible. It seemed like so far away.
What is amazing is that less than 24 months later here we are: we have been racing in it. It is here, it is a new era.
It's so exciting… so exciting.
You know I've got some good feelings about Nad Al Sheba. It was great to me but this is the future. This is the best racecourse in the world and not just for the spectators, but for the jockeys — we have the best surface, the best grass, 60,000 people watching you. I mean what can you say? It's fabulous!
So it's fair to say that you have closed one set of memories [of Nad Al Sheba] and you are about to open a book of new ones with Meydan.
Absolutely! So far we have been racing here for the past weeks. I have managed to win 15 races, I am the leader already so Meydan has started on a good note for me. I am very excited, I mean nobody could believe that this would happen but here we are.
Probably this is a question you have been asked so many times before but what does racing in Dubai mean to you?
Basically Godolphin is Dubai. It started here and Dubai is my second home. We bring the horses here in the winter, take some time off and start training them again in vision for the World Cup and the season ahead in Europe.
It's a good base to have and Dubai has a very strong racing tradition. We are here to carry on that tradition.
It seems that given your image you are the life and soul of horse racing. There is a lot of focus on who you are. How much of this comes naturally to you and how much do you have to sit down and develop as part of enhancing the Frankie Dettori brand?
Basically, I think you have to have the passion for racing, the love and the will to win. Racing still excites me.
I'm a great believer that people around me should be positive as well; that they have a positive outlook in life and try to enjoy what I do.
I nearly died in a plane crash in 2000 and the rest [that] follows you know [off]. I try to conduct myself in a way that is acceptable.
My sport is one of entertainment so you have to put yourself out there and entertain people. And this is what it's all about.
But it seems that you have taken this entertainment to another level. You are the one everybody likes to watch; the way you act; the way you react; what you say; how you dismount a horse…
Even my restaurant! Sure and everything else follows. If you do well in your sport then the rest follows. I also have some good people around me.
So do you see yourself as an ambassador for your sport?
I think the word ambassador is a bit strong. I feel that I do what I have to do. I think, first of all, [that] I try to promote racing and I try to promote myself. This is part of my job.
Like I said, racing is entertainment and we should do our bit to make racing like other sports. So stop putting yourself inside your house. You have to put yourself out there and hope for the best.
You talked about the 2000 air crash that gave you a fresh perspective on life. Can I take you back there?
Yes sure.
Did surviving that plane crash give you a new reason to celebrate life?
Without a doubt. I think if anybody survives a life threatening experience then it definitely changes your way of thinking. It makes you appreciate life more and enjoy it. All the small little things that used to upset me, now don't upset me anymore. I know it as a very bad experience. I lost my good friend and pilot in that tragedy but it has made me a better and stronger person and changed my whole outlook on life.
Do you sometimes think of pilot Patrick Mackay… that he died in the crash perhaps to save you?
Absolutely. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy. You don't expect it and you can't control it. It's always there at the back of your mind and it never goes away. So you try to deal with it and the best thing is to look forward now.
A lot of people reprioritise their lives after such near death experiences. Suddenly the thing they love the most — in your case racing — doesn't seem to be so important anymore.
I was in a great hole and racing got me out of it. It got me out of that dark hole of being upset and sad. I regained my love for racing and my love for winning. And at the end of it all, I am a jockey and that's what I love the most.
I have got a great wife and family and they tag along behind me (laughs) but they are also pleased that I am a jockey. I think they get fed up pretty quickly if they see me at home too often.
How long did the process of healing take?
It took me two years to completely snap out of it.
But you still kept racing...
Yes, I was racing… but I wasn't myself.
You must be reading the news nowadays of sportsmen falling from grace, one after the other, due to some scandal or another. What's your take on what's going on?
People talk about role models, but I don't think I am one. I say that let he who has not sinned cast the first stone. Everybody knows about the things that they have done wrong in their lives. I think we are quick to judge people for their mistakes. As for myself, I do what I like and I enjoy what I do.
You try to conduct yourself in a nice way and, even though I am definitely not a saint, you just try and do the best you can because a lot of people watch you.
But you would admit that it is very tough to keep up with the high moral standards?
Absolutely, life is not easy. It's the advantage of being recognised, but it's a disadvantage as well because it can sometimes create problems. Unfortunately, it is something that you don't choose, it is something that you are, so you have to deal with it and face it.
Give us an insight into your relationship with Godolphin.
I have been with them for the past 15 years. I remember how we started with four horses and now we are a worldwide super power.
When I was first asked by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to join Godolphin it was beyond my wildest dreams. I never knew that I would end up like this.
He [Shaikh Mohammad] always had this vision of creating something special and he did. He has taken me all over the world, we competed and won every major race.
So I am more than happy. As I said I never thought this was going to happen. It stills shocks me.
You are closing in on Lester Piggott's record of 4,493 career wins…
He's great. For me it's one less thing to do. Lester Piggott was a legend and an icon. To try and get closer to his record, or even beat it, would be great.
What is your ultimate aim?
Believe it or not, I got a letter this year from the jockey club which said that I was fast approaching my fortieth birthday. So my aim is to keep healthy, expand my career as long as I can because I truly love it. I would love to get to the age of 50 and race like Michael Kinane. The next 10 years are important for me to look after myself because that's my aim.
Retirement is something that you don't really like talking about…
Yes. I still believe that I have got a lot more to offer. And I want to carry on as long as I can. The buzz is still there and I want to enjoy it. So why should I let it go?
Every sportsman has dreams outside the sporting arena. How do you categorise that?
My two loves are my chain of restaurants — which are working well — and also I enjoy working with the media. So these are the two doors that I want to open when my jockey career is finished. They are on the back burner now and waiting for me.
Frankie Speaking
Sociable and yet very competitive, Godolphin's top jockey Frankie Dettori has set his sights on being crowned ‘King of the Meydan'
