By Hans Ebert Visit: www.fasttrack.hk
He’s only got to be there. That’s what Star Power is all about. And Frankie doesn’t have to go to Hollywood to be a star. He just is. As long as he keeps writing and rewriting the history books, horse racing is in a good place.
His ride, his association and complete confidence in Stradivarius yesterday when they combined at Ascot to win the Gold Cup for the third successive year wasn’t as someone mentioned, “what the sport is all about”. It’s more of what’s needed to keep horse racing relevant.
Am I a horse racing fan? Not really. But I have always been a fan of Frankie Dettori.
His is a career and life story worth knowing about because it’s much more than about horse racing.
It has to do with human resolve and about staring death in the face and not blinking. It’s about a career that’s had ups and downs and peaks and troughs and just when one thinks he’s pushed his luck one time too far, he gets off the canvas and starts again.
The difference is that he starts again from the top. Or reaches the very zenith of his profession quicker than anyone. Why? How? Utmost self belief and the uncanny ability to pace himself- and his career moves.
Everything that can be written about Frankie Dettori has been written. For myself, that period when he was trying to rebuild his career and appearing talk shows and reality series like “Big Brother” was tough to watch. But he was probably playing for time.
Frankie Dettori hadn’t travelled as far as he had to end up being a sideshow in a two bit Three Penny Opera.
This was not the person I had first met casually in London with a group of eclectic friends who included a Rock guitarist. Later, together with longtime friend and champion rider and human being Brent Thomson, we met at the Champagne Bar at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
With then agent Peter Burrell with us, the talk was about marketing his brand as “The House Of Dettori” instead of the pizza sounding “Frankie’s”, the name of his line of upmarket Italian restaurants.
Wearing pinkish boots which only he could carry off, the superstar rider was travelling on a different flight pattern those days.
He was always friendly, at least outwardly, to everyone he met, but all those years of having to be “On” had no doubt made him see through many.
Sometimes, he made some terrible mistakes, but we forgave him. We wouldn’t have forgiven many. Think he doesn’t know this? Believe he does. And now that he’s back and at the top of his game- again- at 50, what we’re seeing and enjoying and being inspired by is an individual who’s confident without being cocky and giving without asking for more.
He doesn’t have to ask. He delivers- constantly- and the world is a better place for it. So is horse racing. There’s a rub-off effect.
At least for me, there’s the personality and cult of Frankie Dettori. There’s then the rest- no matter how good Ryan Moore, Jim Crowley and the others might be.
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