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Godolphin and Dettori to part company

Frankie Dettori will not be retained by Godolphin next year, but he will continue to ride for the stable, it was announced today.

Godolphin’s racing manager, Simon Crisford, said: “We have had a tremendous association with Frankie over many years. He has achieved so much on behalf of Godolphin and has made the difference between winning and losing on so many occasions in the world’s biggest races.

“However, Frankie is looking for a fresh challenge and we felt that the retainer was not really working so this is the best way forward. We have had many great days together and we look forward to working with Frankie in the future and hopefully enjoying more success together.

“He remains a great friend — the difference next year will be that he will not be our retained jockey and will operate as a freelance instead.”

Dettori, who rode Godolphin’s first Classic winner, Balanchine, in 1994 and has been associated with many of the stable’s top horses since then, said: “I have had 18 wonderful years. Godolphin has been a major part of everything I have achieved in racing and I have loved every minute of it. I feel the time has come for a change. My position in the stable has changed a little bit and I need a new challenge. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has been an unbelievable boss to me. He had the confidence to take me on board when I was young and we smashed every record together. I will be forever grateful to him for everything he has done for me and for my family.”

Dettori, winner of 110 Group or Grade 1 races in the royal blue silks, thanked the many Godolphin staff who had helped him to achieve the success he has enjoyed with the stable. “The whole team have been fantastic – none of it would have been possible without them,” he said.