Legendary jockey Frankie Dettori was presented with a giant retirement card at Doncaster Racecourse following his final UK Classic race, the Betfred St Leger.
Dettori, who rode 23 wins in UK Classic’s, finished second on 11/4 favourite Arrest in the Betfred St Leger before receiving his farewell card.
Arrest would have cost the bookies a pretty penny if he’d won the St Leger as sponsors Betfred have worked out that the jockey has cost the bookmaking industry as a whole over £400 million in pay-outs across his previous 23 Classic victories.
His Majesty The King was also in attendance at Doncaster to watch his horse, Desert Hero, finish third in the Betfred St Leger, and took in the giant retirement card as he made his way through the crowds.
Created by Betfred, the card stands at 10ft tall and punters and fellow jockeys have been writing their messages of thanks to the outgoing star.
Top jockey Hollie Doyle wrote: ‘Good luck in the future, thanks for the instruction.’ while three-time Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy added his name to the thousands of signatures for Dettori.
John Gosden, the trainer that Dettori rode his most memorable winners with, added his gratitude to the card, writing: “Keep truckin’, John Gosden.”
It comes after ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean also paid tribute to legendary jockey Dettori, writing: “What a man. Good Luck. Mike Dean.”
The card carries a personal message from Betfred owner Fred Done, who was almost brought to his knees back in 1996 when Dettori went through the card with seven winners at Ascot.
Done said: “Frankie has been fantastic for racing and will leave a big hole in the weighing room when he goes.
“The 23 Classic winners have cost us a few quid but it’s been a privilege to witness the career of a legend.”
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