Famed European jockey Frankie Dettori will be based out of Santa Anita Park for the winter starting the first day of the upcoming meet Dec. 26.
Dettori, who told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast he rode four winters at the Arcadia, Calif., oval as a "young boy" in the late 1980s, said that he will return to the track for the winter season instead of his usual trek to Dubai.
"At this stage at in my career, I've done a lot in Dubai," Dettori told Luck. "I need a fresh challenge and this opportunity came up. With people telling me they want me over there, why not? Better late than never, let's give it a go."
Jockey agent Ron Anderson, who has been a longtime friend of Dettori, said he will represent him during his time in California.
"Frankie was riding for Richard Cross at Hollywood Park when he was 15 1/2," Anderson said. "I was working there and met him at that point because I had represented Fernando Toro who was riding for Richard.
"He was a loudmouth little kid with a lot of energy like he still has. I asked Richard, 'who is this kid?' He said 'you better be nice to him.' I asked him what he meant by that and he goes, 'This kid is going to be famous.'"
Many years later, Cross's statement has rung true as Dettori has established himself as a staple in top-class riding including 112 starts at the Breeders' Cup World Championships with 14 of those being first-place trips.
The jockey is currently in Australia preparing to ride Hosier in The Big Dance Nov. 1 at Randwick Racecourse, and will ship out to Kentucky in the coming days for the World Championships at Keeneland.
He has been named to ride Queens Plate winner Moira in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T), Last Call in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), and Mishriff in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).
"He's a delight. He's a world-class rider, a world-class person. I knew him way before this and he's very grounded," Anderson said. "I will have both him and Johnny (Velasquez) at Santa Anita. I'm looking forward to all this very, very much."
Though Anderson and Dettori have kept in touch over the years and worked together periodically when the rider comes to America for bigger races, this will be a longer-term partnership for the two.
Anderson said there are not any specific trainers that the jockey will be riding for when he arrives in California but he does not anticipate issues finding mounts.
He added that a trip to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May could very well be an option for Dettori whose last ride in the Kentucky Derby (G1) came in 2000 when he rode China Visit to a sixth-place finish.
"He's not going to have any problems riding for anybody is what I feel. There will be people looking for he and Johnny—but nobody specifically," Anderson said. "For me that's better off, I don't want my hands tied. I want to be able to zig and zag.
"I would not think with him being located in California that we will have any problems whatsoever getting him on 3-year-olds...He will be well sought after. It's exciting for our end and I also think it's exciting for the business, he'll bring a new enthusiasm to the business just because he's present."
