Trophies, Prizes and Silks Oh My! Frankie Dettori Goodies Go To Auction

Horse racing legend jockey Frankie Dettori will auction over 120 lots, including trophies, prizes, silks and memorabilia, at Cheffins in Cambridge as part of a timed online auction from 5^th July until 18^th July. 

Frankie Dettori, the 52-year-old jockey, has had over 4,000 wins as part of his illustrious career and is now looking to ‘scale down’ his property with his wife Catherine. As part of their move, they have been clearing out the thousands of prizes and trophies won over his career.

Dettori said:

All my kids have branched out, so it’s only myself and Catherine, my wife left, so we’re planning to rent the house, scale down and move towards London a bit. And I’d like to travel the world a bit.” 

Set to retire this November, he continued:

I’m going to be 53 and I wanted to stop at the top. I still feel that I’m riding well enough to finish at the top. I think it’s the right time. My heart doesn’t want to stop but my brain is telling me to stop. It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to move away from Newmarket. Newmarket’s been my life. We’re scaling down and I’ve got so much stuff, we thought we might as well just auction it. I didn’t realise because they end up in drawers, in cupboards, in the cellar. I mean they’re all over the place. Now we’re clearing up a lot of stuff we didn’t realise how much accumulated in so many years.”

Included in the sale are a number of important memorabilia items, most notably the jockey weighing scales, which were gifted to Dettori by champion American jockey Steve Cauthen and which Dettori claims he has been “jumping on and off for over thirty years,” and which have been signed. There is also Dettori’s trophy from his 2023 win at The Betfred Oaks; this was his last ride at Epsom and could potentially be his final trophy from a Classic win, should he not win at the Saint Leger in September. Other key lots include his royal blue ex-Godolphin silks, a pair of boots which have been signed and were worn by Dettori during various races in Saudi Arabia in 2023, and a saddle which is again signed and was used by Dettori at Epsom in 2007. These items will be offered alongside hundreds of trophies, salvers, plaques and medals which Dettori has won in the most prestigious race meetings the world over, including throughout the UK, USA, Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong and Europe. There are also signed copies of his book, “A Year in the Life of Frankie Dettori,” signed photographs, limited edition prints and signed saddle cloths. 

Frankie Dettori said it was difficult to know which of his many prizes to sell and which to keep. He said:

You need a mansion to put the trophies up. I tried to keep something which means something to me…but the rest is going up to auction.”

Part of the proceeds will go to the charity Direct Aid for Africa (DAFA), and some will go to Dettori’s five children. 

Auction: The Frankie Dettori Sale – 5^th – 18^th July
Location: Timed online at Cheffins – Fine Art.